By the way, I added the pictures of mouth-watering food to kind of cheer things up graphically. Mmmmm. - Wes
The importance of good nutrition for top performance in any sport cannot be over stressed and is often overlooked. This is especially true for an extremely demanding sport such as rugby. The following is a general diet plan which may help you to realize your potential as an athlete. I realize that it is extremely difficult to do everything that is necessary to eat the 'perfect' diet and simultaneously maintain your image as a socialite of the area, but it is always possible to improve. If you will keep these hints in mind, you may find yourself feeling and playing better.
The following is a short (believe it or not I've tried to keep the length down) handout covering some of the highlights of nutrition and performance. I have probably covered some things you care squat-all about and left others off. Remember I am available at any time for specific queries, so please don't hesitate to ask if there is a burning concern.
It is necessary to keep your CHO intake in this range so that you will maintain your glycogen stores at high levels, even with repeated depletion through your rigorous training schedules. You need to ingest about 6-8 g CHO/ kg body weight each day (2.5-3.5 g/lb). This is especially important on hard training days. Each time you do a hard training session you deplete your stored CHO (glycogen). If you do not get enough CHO you will not completely replenish your stores. In the long term this will start to interfere with training quality.
The timing of ingestion of CHO is also critical. Immediately following a workout is an ideal time to suck down some CHO. This is necessary to maximize your recovery potential by restoring your glycogen at the fastest possible rate. Try to take in about 0.7 g CHO/kg body weight (0.32g/lb) during the 1st hour following a workout. Since a nice bowl of pasta is not too appetizing following one of your more strenuous workouts, the wonderful folks at Quaker Oats have come up with the perfect solution just for you (actually I think they do it so they can send their kids to Harvard or Duke, but it works for you). Quaker makes Gatorade. Gatorade and related drinks have been formulated for just such a post training reason. A pint (16 oz.) of Gatorade has just under 30 g of CHO (not to mention plenty of fluid which also needs to be replaced). So someone weighing 150 should drink about 32 oz as soon after a workout as is possible. This is not difficult when you're hot and thirsty after a killer session. Drinks made by the other companies work just fine too (only difference is you can't be like Mike if you drink Coke or Pepsi's versions of the sports drinks). Gatorlode or one of the other high-carbohydrate drinks may also be appropriate here. Gatorlode is a much more concentrated source of CHO. Only 12 oz. of Gatorlode provides 70g of CHO. Plenty for anyone under 200 lbs. Just be careful with this stuff because some people get queasy stomachs if it is downed too quickly (due to its high concentration and the state of your gut during training). See what works best for you.
This is especially crucial when you are agonizing through two-a-days and/or a multi-match tournament. What you do immediately following a training session or match can directly impact your performance in the next one. Try to concentrate on rehydrating (more about this later) and replenishing your CHO so that the lack thereof does not hinder your effort later. It is crucial to take in CHO as soon after a practice or match as possible to enable your muscles to have the best possible chance to restore CHO.
Just a word about CHO loading. It's not necessary to do any fancy diet manipulations for rugby training. Just be sure to get enough CHO throughout the week to insure optimal glycogen storage so you won't hinder you're training. About 6-8 g of CHO/kg body weight will work well.
FALSE! (Sorry, trick question). Don't get me wrong, protein is a very important nutrient, but odds are y'all get plenty already. The RDA for protein is 0.8 g/kg (1 kg=2.2 lbs.) body wt. Increase that to 1.2-1.5 g/kg for athletes (although not all scientists agree that it should be higher for jocks) and it is still very easy to get plenty of protein in a normal diet. Good sources of protein are lean meat, fish, poultry, low-fat dairy products, eggs and legumes (remember that these are also good sources of complex CHO). Keep the meat lean and the poultry skinless and you will cut way down on the saturated fat (the bad guy) which is associated with these foods.
Many people are afraid of avoiding meat because they feel that they can't get enough protein without it. Although I feel that it is not necessary, and possibly detrimental, to eat a pure vegetarian diet, it is still relatively easy to get plenty of protein. Dairy products (low-fat), legumes and eggs are all excellent sources of protein. Meat is one of the best sources of protein and is also high in iron, zinc and vitamin B12, so you don't want to totally quit. Many female, and some male, athletes are diagnosed as being deficient in iron and zinc. You can get plenty of these nutrients with only a small portion of meat (also available in poultry and fish) two or three times a week.
OK, back to the average 150 lb. rugby jock. About 100-105 g of protein is plenty for a day. A 4 oz. piece of meat, fish or poultry will give you 35-40 g of protein, and 4 oz. is only about the size of the palm of your hand (a typically sized chicken breast from a fast food place). Other protein sources include eggs, about 7 g each, 8 oz. of skim milk, about 7 g, and 1 cup of legumes, about 8 g. Notice how quickly a normal meal can add up. This is even without the smaller amounts of protein found in plant sources. A potato has about 5 g, a bagel as much as 8 g and a slice of bread 2.5 g. Add up what you normally eat in a day and I bet it's well in the high range necessary for athletes.
The point of all this is not to stop you from eating protein, but to convince you that it is not necessary to add extra protein, i.e. excess meat or supplements. All those protein sources and amino acid supplements are a waste of money. Keep in mind that excess calories from protein are converted to fat for storage. We don't want that, do we? So, normally you're better off eating an extra helping of pasta, rather than that extra chicken leg. A high complex CHO diet, like we're developing, should give you plenty of protein.
Even though the protein need of athletes is higher than the RDA it is probably covered in the present diets of most athletes without any further increase in the proportion of protein. This may be illustrated with more of your favorite sample calculations.
Average protein consumption in the USA is about 15-18% of the total calorie intake.
Note that in 1438 kcal of a perfectly reasonable, high CHO (75%) extremely low fat (3%) diet, 93 g of protein are consumed as 22% of the total kcals. This is enough to put the average male smack in the middle of even the higher recommendations for protein.
Most athletes would certainly be eating more than 1400 kcal, so they would easily get any extra protein they might need. Therefore, it is not recommended for most athletes to increase their dietary protein intake. Those who feel it is necessary should first obtain a complete dietary evaluation to determine their actual protein intake before they decide to increase it.
Remember that I recommend that you get 15-20% of your calories from fat. This is by no means a universally accepted number, but I think your calories are much better spent on CHO, which are more valuable for athletes than fat. However it is possible to go overboard and not get enough fat. Less than 10% of your calories from fat may lead to long term health problems (decreased HDL-cholesterol, the 'good' kind, and reduced reproductive hormones in females). So, a completely fat-free diet is not necessary and may, in fact, be harmful. Don't worry, with the hard training regimens you go through, a little fat in your diet will not hurt you, and will probably help maintain your health and performance.
It is easy to get too much fat though. Fat has more than twice the calories per gram (9 vs. 4) as the other energy nutrients, so you can only eat half as much and get the same amount of calories. No fun! Fat is very insidious. By that I mean it is hidden in a lot of places. For example, potato chips are about 60% fat (switch to pretzels which are only about 10-15%) and even lean steak is about 40%.
Those processed luncheon meats are also sources of heaps of fat. Even the ones which say 97% FAT FREE. This is one of the favorite marketing ploys of the food sellin' folks. That 97% refers to weight, not calories. Remember that fat is 9 cal/g so that a food can have a smaller amount of fat than the other nutrients and yet have a high fat caloric content. This is especially true when they add non-nutritive fillers, as they do in those disgusting lunch meats. I'd advise cutting them out completely and substituting tuna (packed in water) or deli-cut turkey, chicken or roast beef (usually lean). Choose skim milk instead of whole or 2%, non fat yogurt, limit fried foods and cut down on butter. Hell, they even make non-fat saltines, mayo and salad dressings now. These are just a few examples of ways to cut down on your fat intake.
Remember, more calories should come from valuable complex CHO. It is not necessary to get wild eyed crazy and ban all fats from your vicinity. Simply concentrate on complex CHO as your main food sources and the fat will take care of itself.
There is no evidence that extra vitamins or minerals in the form of supplements help athletic performance in any way (assuming you get enough in your diet). It is probably not necessary to add a supplement to your diet unless you feel that your diet is so bad that you are deficient in some. This is, of course much easier (and cheaper) to remedy with food than supplements. If you feel your diet is lacking, please see me and we'll remedy the situation. There is a risk of toxicity and adverse side effects with supplements which contain high doses of individual nutrients, so be careful. The multi-vitamin ones tend not to overdo it and cost less. The main reason I advise against a supplement is because I think they are unnecessary and you should save your money. However, if you feel you do need one, the multi-vitamin types (like Fred Flintsone) will reduce the risk of toxicity as opposed to a single megadose type which could potentially give you too much and make your dick fall off (or some other such terrible and disgusting result).
There are some nutrients which may need to be supplemented in some individuals, especially females. Athletes (mostly, but by no means only, females) are notoriously bad about getting enough calcium and iron. This is usually because they don't eat enough dairy products and/or meat in the ever-lasting quest for that perfectly (but unnecessarily) fat-free diet. I strongly recommend milk (skim's fine), yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. every day, as well as some sort of meat (fish and poultry will work) at least 3-4 times per week. This should help you get enough calcium and iron. If this is not possible then a visit to the Doc may be warranted to think about (dare I say it) supplements. Keep in mind that this is individual and you should not just assume you are deficient without confirmation, because supplements may be dangerous when they are not needed (just think back to the aforementioned loss of body parts).
Try to get plenty of sleep so you can get up early enough before the match to eat. Even if you can't make it 3 hours, 2 is better than 1. Keep the breakfast light and low-fat. A bagel (excellent low-fat choice), nonfat yogurt, orange juice with a banana, a bowl of cereal with skim milk or whole wheat toast and jelly (try to skip the butter if you can) are your best bets. Eating egg-a-muffins and Burger King grease-on-a-croissant things is asking for trouble in the form of reduced performance for most folks.
As I mentioned previously, post-exercise is also a time to think about your eating habits. You can maximize your CHO storage by consuming a high CHO meal within 2 hours of training. So after you bust your ass at practice, go home and enjoy a nice pasta dinner. This strategy goes for match days as well, especially if it is a 2-day tournament. Eat heartily, especially CHO, before you go to the party and you are maximizing your ability to restore your glycogen reserves for the next day. This should make for a perkier performance on Day 2.
During the training session or match, whatever you will drink the most of is probably the best thing to consume. The trick is not to make 'em too concentrated with CHO and electrolytes, as this slows down absorption, especially on a hot day. For this reason, I'd definitely advise against sodas, such as Coke, diet Pepsi or Mountain Dew. Additionally caffeine in the pop will act as a diuretic. Athletes in one study were shown to replenish their body fluids only 60% as well with cola as with water. Whether or not you choose a CHO-electrolyte drink, such as Gatorade, is an individual preference thing and you should experiment for yourself. Many athletes cannot tolerate CHO-electrolyte drinks during performance and many have no problem. So experiment with what works best for you when you are training. Please don't wait till the match to try sumpthin new and end up puking on the pitch.
Post training rehydration is essential as well. Try to drink plenty of fluids after you train. This will reduce the chances of a chronic dehydration which may work against you in hot weather. Following exercise, a CHO-electrolyte drink (Gatorade) may actually be preferable to water as it not only replaces lost fluids, but also CHO (a kill two birds with one stone situation). The sodium in the drink, although small amounts, helps allow for greater absorption of fluid. However, whatever you will enjoy and drink heaps of (not beer yet) is great. Try to hold off on the beer until you have rehydrated with non-alcoholic fluids, since beer is a dehydrating agent.
Well, I hope this has been helpful (if not then throw it away or better yet, recycle). Nutrition is no substitute for good training, but if you all train hard and eat a high CHO diet, you should feel better, notice a marked improvement in your playing, as well as realizing some of your team goals. Remember that I'm always available for any questions or advice concerning nutrition. The trick is not necessarily to be a saint all the time (it's ok to have a few beers or a piece of chocolate cake occasionally), but to change your habits so that there is a significant overall improvement. Hopefully it won't take long for you to notice an improvement in the way you feel and play.
Now, here's a nutritional idea.
FEMALE HORMONES FOUND IN BEER
"Yesterday scientists revealed that beer contains small traces of female hormones. To prove their theory, the scientists gave 100 men a case of beer each, and observed that 100% of them gained weight, talked excessively with out making sense, became emotional, couldn't drive, couldn't think, and refused to apologize when wrong. No further testing is planned."
The best way to think of nutrition for performance is on a long-term basis. By this I mean that it is necessary to support your training efforts. Nutrition is rarely ever successful in a quick-and-dirty manner, although many athletes would like this to be the case. What you eat the day of a competition only plays a minor role in your success or failure. It is what you eat throughout the season, or even the year, which will make the difference. You must fuel your body properly to enable it to maintain the highest possible quality of training so that you may make the greatest gains allowable by your ancestors (genetics). As with training, consistency and quality are the keys for top nutrition.NUTRIENTS
There are 3 basic energy-yielding nutrients, that is those which provide calories; carbohydrates (I'll use CHO for an abbreviation), proteins and fats. Alcohol is also a source of calories (as we may all attest to after seeing some folks after the holidays), but it doesn't supply any nutritive value. The accepted government numbers for intake of these nutrients (calculated as a % of your total daily caloric intake) are 30% fat, about 12-15% protein and about 55-60% CHO. These numbers are fine for the yuppies with the fancy workout clothes, but not for anyone who is serious about training (especially badass, athletic studs and studdettes). We'll try to get 65-70% CHO, 12-15% protein, 15-20% fat. As many of you already know, CHO are extremely important for athletes and 15-20% fat should be appropriate for your finely-tuned bodies. Keep in mind that too much of a good thing is not necessarily better. In other words it is possible to go overboard on the "Hate the Fat" bandwagon. More on this later. When you are calculating the amount of these nutrients in your diet, the % of total calories is the important concept. Look on the labels of foods and they will give you a breakdown of these nutrients by weight. You can convert this to calories. One gram (g) of CHO and 1 g of protein both have 4 cal. One g of fat, however, has 9 cal. An example of how to calculate a breakdown of foods follows:
One oz. of Cheerios = 4 g of protein, 20 g of CHO and 2 g of fat. Now multiply this by 4 g x 4 cal/g = 16 cal. from protein 20 g x 4 cal/g = 80 cal. from CHO and 2 g x 9 cal/g = 18 cal. from fat. This comes to a total of 114 cal. Protein makes up 16/114 = 14% CHO is 80/114 = 70% and fat only 18/114 =16%.
Not too bad. Use this for any food you like and you can always keep track of your diet.Carbohydrates
The most important of these nutrients for athletes are CHO. The major energy source for your muscles during a race is glycogen, the form in which carbos are stored in your muscles. There are 2 factors which influence the amount of glycogen you can store in the muscles (and thus make it available for your use on the track): training and diet. Training we'll let Kelly address elsewhere, but hopefully you can learn something here which may help to increase maintain glycogen stores during your racing career.
There are 2 types of CHO, simple and complex. Simple CHO are sugars and only about 10% of your calories should come from these. Complex CHO consist of starch and fibers. Complex CHO are the most important energy source and should make up most of your calories. Although there is very little difference between complex and simple CHO in terms of replenishing glycogen stores, you get many more vitamins and minerals from sources of complex CHO as opposed to simple. Potatoes, corn, grain products (bread, pasta, rice, oatmeal, most cereals), legumes (peas and beans) and other vegetables are all good sources of complex CHO. These types of foods should be the mainstay of your diet plan. Fruits and vegetables are mixtures of complex and simple CHO and are also loaded with heaps of vitamins and minerals. So if you need an energy boost, go for a nice banana or an apple rather than that nasty, high-fat Snickers.
Alright, how about some specifics. I'll show you some easy ways to calculate your nutrient intake. These numbers will be for a 150 lb. person. Remember that these numbers are not absolute gospel for every individual and you may have to make slight adjustments. Use your common sense and modify these according to your size, metabolism, age and activity level (we're assuming that your activity levels will be high, what with all the training you need to be doing). A typical serving of a complex CHO would include: 1 slice of whole wheat bread, 1/2 ear of corn, 1/2 cup of rice, potato or pasta or 1 oz. of dry cereal. Each of these servings has approximately 70 cal. If we estimate our daily consumption at 3000 cal. per day, you would want about 30 servings of CHO, most of which should be complex CHO. This would give you about 2100 cal. (about 70%) or about 520 g of CHO. You can adjust this to your desired level of calorie intake.
Protein
OK kids time for a quiz. Every athlete should be extremely concerned about his protein intake. True or false?
So, even at a relatively low caloric intake (vigorously training appetites may need more than 3000 kcal), a normal male would consume protein well within the range recommended for athletes.
Next let's see just how easy it is to get 94 g protein....
FOOD PROTEIN (g) KCAL Grape Nuts (1/2 c) and skim milk 25 584 Chicken breast (4 oz.) 35 187 Pasta (4 oz.) and tomato sauce 5.5 160 Black beans (6 oz.) and rice (6 oz.) 13.5 354 Nonfat yogurt (8 oz.) 13 127 Tossed salad (lettuce, tom., etc.) (6 oz.) 2 26 TOTAL 94 1438 Fat
Ah yes, fat. Fat is not totally terrible and useless. There are several important functions in your body which fat provides. These include insulation (just watch the skinny guys shiver when it gets below 65 degrees), protection for organs and energy. Unfortunately fat is so abundant in the foods of our society that many people tend to get entirely too much. Most Americans have the problem of trying to cut fat from their diets, rather than trying to get enough.
On the other hand there are lots of easy ways to cut out fat. Salad dressings are notorious sources of hidden fat, so that salad bar may not be so wonderful if you gob the dressing on it. Mayonnaise has 11 g of fat and 100 cal. in 1 tablespoon. Calculate this to 11 g x 9 cal./g = 99 cal./100 cal. = 99% fat. Have you ever cut a piece of fat off of a slab of meat and commenced to gnaw on it. It would amount to about the same thing as enjoying your mayo. So mayonnaise and potato chips are on the "cut down on these" list. Switch to more poultry and fish, rather than red meat. Remember to skip the skin on the poultry, as that is where a large portion of the fat hangs out, and cut the visible fat from the meat you do eat.Vitamins and Minerals
These are, of course, a very important part of any athlete's diet. It is still controversial as to whether athletes need more than the average couch slug. In any case, a high CHO diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables and the proper amounts of fat and protein should provide you with all the vitamins and minerals you need.MEAL TIMING
One important aspect of timing is eating breakfast. Breakfast with plenty of CHO is essential for proper energy levels throughout the day. If you skip breakfast you will deplete your glycogen stores in your liver, especially if you do a morning workout. Later when you go to train you are risking hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) which may make you feel awful and diminish your training effort. Also, on a less fun but equally important note, eating breakfast allows you to maintain your concentration in class or work. Many studies show that lack of breakfast diminishes cognitive efforts, so eat up and smoke those exams.
If you are following a high CHO diet all week long, then you have probably increased your CHO energy stores without necessarily adding excess weight to carry around in the form of fat. This is good. Now on the day of a match you can further help to optimize this situation. You should eat a relatively small, high CHO meal 3-5 hours before the match. This actually accomplishes two things. It helps you maintain your blood glucose and not run the risk of becoming hypoglycemic. It will also serve to top off glycogen stores in your muscle. Another advantage is that it will make you feel less hungry, thus giving you one less thing to worry about so you can concentrate on scoring tries, brilliantly executing a perfect pop-kick or shutting down your opposite number, thus reaping heaps of glory for the pride of the orange and green. By eating closer to training or competition you run the risk of a metabolic situation (hyperinsulinemia, for those of you who like to use big words) which causes you to burn up your glycogen more quickly than you should (aside from puking) and thereby hastens fatigue. This is more prevalent in some individuals than others. It may not be a factor for you. One thing to keep in mind is that not eating is much worse than eating close to a match. Just stick to a light meal if it is almost time to put on your game face.
The closer you get to a match, the less you should eat. Eating close to competition only draws blood to your gut and away from your muscles which have a greater need for it during the match. Be very conscious of limiting fats for the pregame meals. Those Egg McMuffins and bacon and egg breakfasts tend to digest very slowly and can stay partially undigested in the gut if eaten in large quantities or too close to competition. This may cause sluggishness and a general 'blah' feeling which may not be conducive to playing hard.FLUIDS
Water
I probably can't say enough about the importance of fluids. Fluid replacement is extremely crucial to all athletes, especially those of us who toil in the hot, humid clime of the southeast. Our bodies cool themselves by sweating. On a hot day a lot of water is lost through this sweat. As you lose water your body loses its ability to perform. A dehydration level (measured by loss of body weight) of only 2% will cause performance decrements. You simply cannot be at your best if you are not properly hydrated. This goes for both training and racing. The key is to drink plenty of water before training and to drink whenever the opportunity presents itself during the training session. Drink even if you are not thirsty. Your bodies thirst mechanism cannot keep up with its need for fluids. Cool water is fine, as it is absorbed quickly. I know a lot of you prefer sumpthin with a little more taste to it, such as Gatorade and these are fine too.Alcohol
On this note let me add some thoughts about alcohol the night before a match. If you want to play your best, drinking more than 2-3 beers the night before a match is a big mistake. Recently, an Irish researcher studied the effect of drinking beer on rugby players (who better to study than Irish ruggers, eh). He clearly showed that physiological performance was impaired by drinking alcohol the night before. Alcohol is a diuretic so it dehydrates you. D ehydration will hurt your ability to play hard. Other factors (interference with liver function, etc.) also contribute to alcohol's ability to impair performance the next day (maybe I should include a pounding headache in this category). Stay sober the night before else you let yourself and your teammates down. If you do weaken and quaff some ales, try to drink plenty of water when you get home (an aspirin or advil may also be a good idea at this point). Also really try to rehydrate the next day before you play. 
WRAP-UP
Probably the two most important things to worry about are CHO and fluids. Lack of one or both of these will contribute fastest to decreasing your performance. Stay hydrated and carbed-up. Overall, the easiest way to go is to make complex CHO the main course of your meals. So concentrate on baked potatoes, pasta with vegetable sauce, or black beans and rice as the main ingredients. Notice that this is also the cheapest way to go. Paying for rice and pasta is much easier on your budget than chunks of meat. You don't want to completely eliminate meat, simply use lean meats as a side dish and keep track of those fat calories. It's as simple as that.GOOD LUCK!
Dr. Kevin Tipton, Ph.D
If you have any questions you can E-Mail me at KTipton@Beach.UTMB.edu
