Protein
Steak, eggs and high-protein drinks have been shunned for years by sports nutritionists, who claim that a high-carb approach is the only way to enhance sports performance. But a study at the University of Illinois, published in August’s Journal of Nutrition, found athletes who consumed more protein (low-fat dairy food, lean meat, etc) to be faster, stronger and leaner. “There’s an interactive effect when a protein-rich diet is combined with exercise,” says Professor Donald Layman, who headed the study. “The two work together to correct body composition; dieters lose more weight, and they lose fat, not muscle.” The protein-rich diet works because it contains a high level of the amino acid leucine, which helps stimulate muscle synthesis and recovery.
Mints
Sucking a peppermint before you head to the gym could make your workout seem easier and boost your activity output. Psychologists at Wheeling Jesuit University in America asked 40 athletes to run hard for 15 minutes on a treadmill while inhaling one of four scents – peppermint, jasmine, dimethyl or a non-odour control. Those who inhaled peppermint perceived themselves to be making less effort and could keep running for longer. Dr Bryan Raudenbush, who led the study, concluded that a minty scent probably enhanced breathing by clearing the airways.
Red meat
More than a third of UK women don’t get their daily iron requirement (14.8mg) from the recommended red meat, chicken and eggs, making getting fit an uphill struggle, experts claim. Dr Jere Haas of Cornell University put 41 women aged 18-33, all of whom were mildly iron-deficient, on a four-week exercise programme. Reporting in the American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition, he found that those who were given a six-week course of iron supplements saw improvements of up to 200% in their fitness, compared with those who took a placebo. The iron-takers felt less breathless and tired, and were more enthusiastic about exercise.
Caffeine
Drinking black coffee (or flat cola) can boost your endurance capabilities by a small but crucial margin of 3%, say researchers at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra. Professor Louise Burke, the institute’s head of nutrition, showed how cyclists who sipped one to two cups of coffee or cola before and during exercise were able to keep pedalling for longer and faster than those who took plain water. A little of the black stuff could also help you burn fat. Caffeine contains substances that stimulate the release of fats into the bloodstream. Those fats are immediately used to fuel exercise before the body reverts to its limited carbohydrate stores to keep going.
Porridge
Paula Radcliffe claims it is her rocket fuel and researchers at Loughborough University also give porridge a thumbs-up. Tests on a wide range of different foods grouped according to their glycaemic index found porridge (made with oats and water), a low GI food, to provide the longest-lasting energy boost when eaten prior to a workout. Reporting his findings in the British Journal Of Nutrition, Professor Clyde Williams, head of Loughborough’s school of sport science, said porridge-eating athletes performed better than those who took a hi-tech energy sports drink.
Tinned peaches
Dr Emma Stevenson, a sports nutrition researcher at Nottingham University, recently conducted two studies published in the International Journal Of Nutrition which confirmed tinned peaches to be fitness-friendly. Stevenson gave athletes either a high GI breakfast such as white bread with jam or a low GI meal of tinned peaches and muesli, and asked them to perform a 60-minute run three hours later. “In both men and women, the results showed that the tinned peaches meal was more beneficial in terms of improving performance,” Stevenson says. “It promoted fat oxidation, sparing carbohydrate oxidation during the run, which meant that athletes who consumed it performed significantly better.”
Cashew nuts
Britain’s double Olympic gold medallist Kelly Holmes claims that unsalted cashew nuts were a secret to her success when she munched on them to boost her powers of recovery between races. “All nuts are a rich source of dietary protein, which is needed to enhance the recovery of muscles after intense exercise,” says Jeanette Crosland, a consultant dietician to the British Olympic Association. “They also contain carbohydrate and essential minerals, such as potassium, that are lost in sweat, so they make a useful snack to replace those losses after a workout.” Crosland adds that a 50g serving of cashews provides one-fifth of a woman’s daily iron requirement.
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