Tim Leeming. Exercise Nutritionist. BAppSci (Hons) Eat seasonal fruit and vegetables! It’s old news, right? Have you ever considered why we should eat to the seasons? Sure, there’s the story of economics, the fruit and veg available in abundance will be cheapest and buying it supports local growers. What about the health benefits? Let’s discuss some of those. There are numerous advantages for your health in eating local, seasonal produce, and the following points might surprise you. |
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Article by Tim Leeming. Exercise Nutritionist. BAppSci (Hons)
An excellent source of energy-dense saturated fats, vitamins, a special compound called butyrate and a creamy, delectable taste; butter is a superfood! Sadly – due in part to corrupt research and financially-fuelled misinformation – butter has received a bad rap for decades. No, butter does not make you fat, nor will it give you heart disease. Eaten the right way, butter will actually do the opposite! I wrote in a previous article about the benefits of coconut oil; but I must admit that butter comes out trumps in this battle of fats. Here’s why… Article by Tim Leeming. Exercise Nutritionist. BAppSci (Hons)
With nicknames like “white death”, salt has been cast out as a dangerous additive to food by researchers and health professionals the world around. Consistently tagged with risks of high blood pressure and heart disease, salt is supposed to be avoided “like the plague”, for want of a better cliché. Have you ever wondered why? Perhaps you’ve now heard news that salt is good for you, and ultimately you’re confused as to which is the right answer. It’s a very typical story in the world of foodies and nutrition enthusiasts – conflicting opinions and information! Let me talk to this misconception for you. Article by Tim Leeming. Exercise Nutritionist. BAppSci (Hons)
The question of overall performance hydration is something I have already addressed, so the point of this article is to provide some counsel around hydrating specifically during a race. The first piece of advice I will offer is that if your event is less than an hour, you do not need to hydrate while you run. In fact, most individuals should perform optimally for up to 90 minutes without requiring a mid-race tipple. If sufficient hydration is achieved in the days and hours leading up to a race of shorter duration, it’s best you don’t even drink during the race. The very mild loss of body water (and therefore body weight) has actually been associated with increased performance, compared to those who add weight (and time) by stopping to drink. Just think light is fast.
Tim Leeming. Exercise Nutritionist. BAppSci (Hons)
The trots, or runner’s diarrhoea, is an unpleasant situation in which a distance runner experiences the sudden need for a bowel movement at any stage during a run. It can occur very abruptly, unexpectedly and can require an immediate course of action. It’s a surprisingly common phenomenon and can happen to anyone, whether a first-time jogger or a seasoned marathon champion. The reason for this unruly gastrointestinal reaction is not yet agreed upon by scientists. To be fair, it’s not the most appetising subject to research! Frontrunners for the cause of the trots include ischemia (decreased blood-flow) to the gut while running, or mechanical trauma from the constant jarring motion. Given the recent scientific breakthroughs in gut health (which I’ve talked about elsewhere), I propose that an unhealthy gut flora and decreased intestinal cellular integrity are likely causes for the high incidence of runner’s diarrhoea. So it follows that I’ll talk first about improving gut health in order to prevent the terrible trots. I’ve listed a few other ideas worth considering, too: Tim Leeming. Exercise Nutritionist. BAppSci (Hons)
It’s all too common but never very pleasant. It can come without warning; an abrupt shift in your stomach and your mindset quickly follows in shifting to a state of emergency. Your running form goes out the door as you stiffen up, and anyone who has been there before could take one look at you and know exactly the status quo. Runner’s trots – or runner’s belly – as it is known, is a condition affecting distance runners in which a sudden or urgent need for a bowel movement takes place mid-run. It has many proposed causes including decreased blood-flow to the gut as a result of the high muscle blood-flow, mechanical trauma from the jiggling and jolting of running, as well as dietary alterations such as caffeine intake or increased fructose load from pre-exercise meals. The answer to the cause is totally dependent on the individual experiencing the unease, and is also a conversation for elsewhere. Here, I’m going to offer a few helpful tips for handling the situation as best you can, if it does arise! Article by Tim Leeming. Exercise Nutritionist. BAppSci (Hons)
What is ketosis? And what could it mean for you as a runner? Ketosis is a magnificent example of the human body’s incredible intelligence. It is the flawless defense mechanism that kicks in if you experience a state of extreme starvation; ketosis is like the back-up generator for your body. When a steady supply of carbohydrate – the usual fuel source – has run out, your physiology breaks down stored fat cells and creates ketone bodies from the triglycerides (the molecular form of fat) and uses them as an alternative fuel. This is primarily a protection mechanism for your brain. The human brain cannot use fat or protein as an energy source, and therefore relies on glycogen from carbohydrates. In times of absolute energy crisis, the brain can switch to ketone bodies as a fuel source. Ironically, your brain can actually work better on ketones than carbohydrates! What’s also really awesome about ketones is that they are extremely well metabolised by muscle cells as an energy source, requiring less processing than carbohydrates or fatty acids. Hmmm, if only we could access these ketones without the starvation part, we’d be super athletes! Well it turns out we can. Article by Tim Leeming. Exercise Nutritionist. BAppSci (Hons)
This one is super common among endurance athletes! Quite often it is brushed off with the excuse that “I’m training enough to burn off this sugar anyway”. This excuse might have some validity, but there’s a much healthier way.
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