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ChadCollins, B,Sc., R.D.

Carbohydrate:The Fuel of Champions

Athletes training hard (morethan one hour daily) should consume well over half of their dailyenergy from carbohydrate (CHO) foods. This means choosing extraservings of Grain Products each day, enjoying plenty of fruitand starchy vegetables, and choosing legumes (peas, beans, lentils)more often.

CHO in the form of blood glucose and muscle glycogen, is the mainfuel during intense training and competition. Once glycogen storeshave been depleted, athletes experience reduced endurance, fatigueand exhaustion. Muscle glycogen depletion occurs during marathontype events. Depletion can also occur during tournaments, or repeatedtraining sessions in which glycogen stores are depleted over severaldays, and not adequately replaced with dietary CHO.

CHO foods are needed to refill muscle glycogen stores. The bestfood choices are "Complex" CHO's such as bread, potatoes,pasta, rice, cereal, legumes, starchy vegetables and fruit. Theseare preferable to "simple" CHO's (sugar, candy, pop)as they contain fibre and additional nutrients for good healthand performance.

Athletes in most sports should choose at least 8 servings of GrainProducts and of Vegetables and Fruit each day to maintain energylevels. Endurance athletes (marathon runners, road cyclists, triathletes)need 15 or more servings from these 2 food groups to meet theirhigh-energy demands. Athletes in sports where calorie intake maybe monitored (diving, gymnastics) need at least the minimum 5servings suggested in each of these food groups to ensure healthand energy for training and competition.

To maximize muscle glycogen stores After intense exercise, muscleglycogen stores take 24-48 hours to refill completely. Athletesshould be sure to include rest days after hard training or priorto competition (with adequate CHO intake), to ensure maximum fillingof muscle energy sites.

Before competition, trained endurance athletes can maximize muscleglycogen stores with a "modified CHO load". This meansresting (tapering activity) and consuming a high CHO diet fora few days prior to an event. This gives muscles a chance to fillCHO stores. For athletes who eat a high CHO diet daily, 2-3 daysrest is important before competition.

To activate glycogen storage after competition, athletes shouldeat or drink high CHO foods immediately after exercise (ideallywithin the first 15 minutes). Eating small, frequent CHO snacksin the 2-4 hours after exercise is the best way to replace muscleenergy (fruit, yogurt, crackers, bagels).

Note: Recent research has shown that a CHO-protein combinationconsumed immediately after intense exercise may be more effectivethan CHO alone in refilling muscle glycogen stores. Enjoy chocolatemilk, a tuna sandwich or fruit sweetened yogurt; or choose a productspecially designed for this purpose.

Chad Collins
Nutrix Ltd.

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