The six basic nutrients of sound nutrition for athelets. (Powerline).

WE LIVE IN AN AGE which abounds with good nutritional information while assaulting our ears, eyes, and taste buds with a near idiotic flow of fa(s)t food jingles.

Adding to the confusion are the ubiquitous diet plans and the wide assortment of magic potions, powders, and muscle pills.

Result: A murky stew of information, misinformation, and questionable claims.

The challenge for coaches is to seek out the valid nutritional facts and disseminate them. Otherwise, we are not going to derive the max out of our athletes' performance and could possibly impair the health of the athletes somewhere down the road.

The message is plain: Coaches must place nutrition high on their priority lost.

At Michigan State, we subscribe to a basic, sound, nutrition program that is predicated on scientific facts -- not hearsay, hype, or big-name endorsements.

The first step in developing a nutritional strategy is to examine the Food Guide Pyramid (FGP) constructed by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. It presents an ergogenic template for daily food consumption that proportionally assays the six basic nutrient categories: carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water.

Carbohydrates

Vegetables, breads, grains, cereals, pasta, and fruits should underpin the athlete's diet. A carbohydrate-rich diet will keep the muscle and liver glycogen and blood glucose at optimal levels.

Glycogen is the body's fuel, especially for high-intensity athletic activities. Athletes who "hit the wall" with fatigue are usually guilty of not ingesting appropriate amounts of carbohydrate. Their muscle and liver glycogen supplies are too low to fuel the activity.

Athletes should ingest 3-4 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight on a daily basis.

Heavy training or practice requires additional attention. Within 15 minutes of completing the session/practice, the athlete should ingest a carbohydrate-rich food or drink to expedite the recovery process.

Ideally, the recovery strategy should consist of ingesting 0.5 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight every two hours over the six to eight hour period following the session.

Example: A 200-lb. athlete should consume approximately 100 grams of carbohydrate every two hours for at least six hours following heavy training or a game.

The commercial high-carbohydrate electrolyte (minerals) sports drinks are fine, especially for that initial 15-minute post-exercise period. The palatability of these drinks sometimes encourages a higher usage than plain water, enabling the athlete to get more of what they need in their bodies.

A distinction should be made between carbohydrates that have a low, moderate, or high "glycemic index."

The glycemic index is a ranking of foods by their ability to introduce glucose to the blood. This glycemic response is predicated on factors such as a food's fiber and fat contents, the amount eaten, and its preparation.

The higher the index number, the quicker the glucose enters the bloodstream. Illustration 2 presents the glycemic index rankings for various popular carbohydrate foods.

Food having a high (above 60) glycemic index are better for post-practice/competition meals and energy enhancers during competition.

The low (less than 40) to moderate (40-60) glycemic index foods are more appropriate for pre-practice/competition meals.

Remember, these are suggestions, not mandates etched in stone. Any type of carbohydrate source is better than none at all.

Carbohydrate summary: The FGP recommends 6-11 servings of the bread, cereal, rice, and pasta group. Another 3-5 servings of vegetable and 2-4 servings of fruits will enable the athlete to meet the recommended 60-70% carbohydrate daily intake.

These are crucial, high-energy foods that should be priorities on the athlete's grocery list.

Protein

No nutrient is steeped in as much myth as protein. From perusing the muscle magazines, you would assume that the average diet is severely protein deficient. Or, that athletes couldn't possibly get enough or the right type of protein from mere food.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Protein should comprise approximately 15% of the daily calorie intake. As you will see, this is not a difficult task to achieve. Most people actually consume far more than that.

Protein is comprised of any number of what are called amino acids. There are possibly 21 amino acids that the body needs to build tissue, though not all proteins contain the entire series.

Nine of these amino acids (histidine, lysine, tryptophan, phenylalanine, methionine, valine, isoleucine, threonine, and leucine) are termed "essential" because we must obtain them from food.

The remaining 12 (alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, cystine, glutamic acid, glycine, proline, glutamine, arginine, serine, and tyrosine) are called "non-essential" not because we don't need them, but because our bodies can make them, if necessary.

Dairy products, fish, poultry, meat, and other animal sources are called complete proteins, because they contain 8-9 of the essential amino acid complex. Diets high in these food sources are certain to provide more than adequate amounts of quality protein.

While the exact protein needs for every individual have not yet been determined, researchers have been able to define several safe and workable guidelines.

We know that active people need more than the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of 0.4 grams of protein per pound of body weight (Lemon, 1995; Tarnopolsky, et al., 1992). Very active individuals and/or competitive athletes may need anywhere from 0.6-0.9 grams of protein daily per pound of body weight. Amounts higher than 0.9 grams are unusable.

What about the legitimate concern of the high saturated fat in many meat and dairy products? You can't completely avoid the saturated fat in these sources, but wiser choices can control it.

A good rule of thumb when purchasing or ordering beef is to ask for loin or round. For pork, leg and loin are better choices.

When looking for dairy products, choose the low fat varieties and those made with skim milk or non-fat powdered milk.

Many athletes operate under the erroneous assumption that protein overload is required for muscle gains. For muscle growth, adequate protein, carbohydrate, and an appropriate strength-training regimen are required. The carbohydrates provide the fuel for the energy needed for muscle-building resistance training, while protein aids in the repair and growth of the affected tissues.

If, however, you displace the needed carbohydrate with excess protein, you will fall to provide the body with its main energy source.

In addition, you may deprive the body of the many health-protective components in carbohydrates (i.e., vitamins and mineral), especially those in fruit and vegetable sources.

Protein Summary: Athletes should focus on consuming the healthier, high-quality protein choices. Keep in mind that the maximum usable amount is 0.9 grams per pound of body weight per day, an easily obtainable goal.

Remember that strength-training, not exorbitant amounts of protein, is the primary variable for muscle growth.

Fats

Though the mere word conjures up a host of negative images, certain fats are essential nutrients. Approximately 25-30% of the daily diet should be comprised of fat.

While it is true that eating excessive amounts of fat, primarily saturated fat, can be unhealthy, other types of fat serve vital functions. A short list includes: maintaining skin and hair, protecting organs, storing and transporting the fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K), securing cell walls, and insulating the body

Fats are classified as saturated or unsaturated by the formation of fatty acids in their chemical structure.

Saturated fats are among the most common nutrients in our diet, as they are found in meat, poultry, whole dairy foods, and tropical oils like palm and coconut. They are solid at room temperature.

Without question, a diet high in saturated fats is linked to many health detriments, including cardiovascular disease and some forms of cancer.

Many of the snack and fast foods young people munch on are loaded with saturated fat. Not only are these foods unhealthy, they provide little assistance in energy production for most sports.

We ask our athletes to read the labels of their snack foods to ascertain the saturated fat content. As a rule of thumb, if they read more than 1-2 grams of saturated fat per serving, we suggest that they find something else to eat.

Unsaturated fats are derived from both plant and animal sources and are subdivided into monounsaturated and polyunsaturated forms.

Monounsaturated fats are found mostly in vegetable oils (olive, canola, and peanut).

Polyunsaturated fats are found in various nuts, fish, and also vegetable oils (safflower, sunflower, and soybean).

Linoleic acid and alphalinolenic acid -- essential fatty acids in many of the body's functions -- are derived from unsaturated fat sources (especially the omega-3 and omega-6 families found in man y types of fish).

A word to the wise: Substitute fish (especially salmon, mackeral, and herring) for red meat every now and then to cut back on saturated fat intake and to obtain these essential fatty acids.

Fats Summary: While fats are not necessarily the portrayed grim reapers of nutrition, moderation is the operative word. The paramount objective is to stay within the 25-30% daily recommendation and to keep most of that in the unsaturated fat category.

Vitamins

Vitamins and minerals are the "micro" nutrients in our diets -- organic compounds that have numerous functions in growth and metabolism. Think of them as catalysts that regulate biochemical reactions in your body.

Since our bodies cannot produce vitamins, we must obtain then from food. Contrary to popular belief, the typical diet offers more than enough of the daily vitamin requirements.

A vitamin is classified as either fat soluble (A, D, E, and K) or water soluble (C and the B-complex), depending on which it uses to carry out its intended functions.

Important point: Vitamins, in themselves, do not provide energy. Instead, they enable the body to derive energy from food. This knowledge should discourage athletes from assuming that it is acceptable to miss a meal as long as they pop a vitamin pill.

Athletes who consume adequate calories are probably fulfilling their vitamin needs. Vitamin deficiencies are rare in diets that focus on the recommended guidelines presented in the FGP.

GLYCEMIC INDEX OF POPULAR FOODS

(Based on 50 grams of Carbohydrate per Serving)

HIGH

Glucose                       100
Gatorade                       91
Potato, baked                  85
Corn flakes                    84
Rice cakes                     82
Potato, microwaved             82
Jelly beans                    80
Vanilla wafers                 77
Cheerios                       74
Cream of Wheat                 74
Watermelon                     72
Bagel, Lender's white          72
Bread, white                   70
Bread, whole wheat        (65-75)
Soft drink, Fanta              68
Mars bar                       68
Grape-Nuts                     67
Couscous                       65
Table sugar                    65
Raisins                        64
Oatmeal                   (42-75)
Ice cream                 (36-80)

MODERATE


Muffin, bran                   60
Bran Chex                      58
Orange juice                   57
Potato, boiled                 56
Rice, white, long grain        56
Rice, brown                    55
Popcorn                        55
Corn                           55
Sweet potato                   54
Pound cake Sara Lee            54
Banana, overripe               52
Peas, green                    48
Baked beans                    48
Rice, white, parboiled         47
Lentil soup                    44
Orange                         43
All-Bran cereal                42
Spaghetti (no sauce)           41
Pumpernickel bread             41
Apple juice, unsweetened       41

LOW


Apple                          36
Pear                           36
PowerBar                  (30-35)
Chocolate milk                 34
Fruit yogurt, low-fat          33
Chick-peas                     33
Lima beans, frozen             32
Split peas, yellow             32
Skim milk                      32
Apricots, dried                31
Green beans                    30
Banana, underripe              30
Lentils                        29
Kidney beans                   27
Whole milk                     27
Barley                         25
Grapefruit                     25
Fructose                       23