5 Smart Nutrition Strategies for 2010

By James L. Weinstein, PhD, RD

You're motivated, energized, stoked with the knowledge that 2010 is going to be different.  Here’s the challenge though.  How is it going to be different?  What are you going to do this year that you haven’t done in years past?  What is going to make you shatter the statistic that only 2 in 10 people can stick to a New Year’s Resolution?  For 2010 I am going to offer you up 5 solid nutrition themed tips to get your season charged for success.

1.      Improve your food environment.  This one is a challenge for even the most motivated athletes but the bottom line is if the food is in the house, you’re probably going to eat it.  Start being healthy by shopping healthy.   When you store food in the house, keep sweets, desserts and “foods of questionable nutrition” to a shelf in the pantry or a single cabinet.  Don’t be afraid to put some foods “out of sight” by using cabinets you don’t commonly look in.  I’m not saying to never purchase these foods—just to be smarter about what you bring into your household food supply and to what extent you expose yourself to it.  Your food environment is not only in the home, and you must consider where you eat out as well.  Consider eating at “healthier” establishments using some of the tips below as a guide but don’t forget to allow yourselves some leeway in what you eat and where.

2.      Color—eat more foods that are naturally Green, Red, Yellow, Orange, Blue, and Purple.  The chemicals that make these foods so colorful are also being shown to have many significant health benefits in our bodies (especially for athletes).  In addition, many of the foods that meet the “colorful” rule are also high in vitamins, minerals, fiber and carbohydrates.  Here’s a short list of foods to consider keeping in the house: broccoli, spinach, romaine lettuce, strawberries, tomatoes, cherries, apples, grapefruit, cantaloupe, squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, blueberries, blackberries, grapes, eggplant, and plums.

3.      Better Breakfasts—breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  When you wake up in the morning your liver glycogen is lower, your metabolism is slower, your body is craving energy.  Stop thinking of breakfast as being a huge multi-food kitchen disaster.  Instead, go simple, a breakfast bar, a banana, a yogurt, all quick simple and easy could constitute a first “early meal”.  Just remember that you need to eat frequently throughout the day (every 2-3 hours is ideal).  When you are designing a healthy breakfast, especially for longer training days, think complex carbohydrate (oatmeals, pancakes, waffles, granola), fruit, dairy (milk, yogurt, cottage cheese), and healthy additives like wheat germ, flax seed, berries, and nuts.  All of these foods can be used to make a powerful healthy breakfast.

4.      Keep a Food Diary—Want to be healthier?  Want to lose a little weight?  Simply keep track of what you eat!  Most people seem to know “what” to eat; it’s more a matter of getting them to eat it that is the challenge.  Keeping a food diary helps you stay honest; it holds you accountable to yourself.  One of the easiest ways to do this is to simply use the food diary functionality of TrainingPeaks.  The frequency with which you keep a food diary (i.e. daily, weekly, or periodically) depends on you (or your coach/dietitian).

5.      Stick to a simple healthy message—eat less saturated fat (solid at room temperature), eat smaller meals every 2-3 hours, eat more fiber (25-25 grams per day), eat lean protein, eat more fish, eat more fruits and vegetables, consume less simple sugar—these are “healthy” themed messages that should form the foundation of your efforts going into 2010.  Try and stay away from getting into the technical and “cutting edge” nutrition topics if you haven’t given significant efforts to improving your foundation of nutritional fitness.  For example, it’s silly to worry about the ergogenic effects of caffeine if you skip breakfast.  It’s useless to try and gain any benefit from eating a gluten-free diet if you aren’t eating enough carbohydrate to perform at a high level.  If you feel you are ready to dive in deep with the latest nutritional science topic, do it with an expert by your side—it’ll make sifting through the science more enjoyable, and hopefully more practical.

Here's to a great new year and a great new you!

Many qualified experts on training and nutrition use TrainingPeaks to help manage their business. Now, a select few are offering professional training and nutrition advice on our blog. The views expressed here are the opinions of the experts and as such do not represent the official position of TrainingPeaks. Read on to learn more about the expert, and submit a question of your own below!

About the author:

Jim is one of the leading sports nutrition experts in the US.  He is finishing is doctoral work in Iron Deficiency Anemia at the University of Connecticut and has practiced clinical nutrition for over 10 years.  He is currently a dietitian in the US Air Force and has counseled hundreds of athletes (amateur and elite) including military Special Forces, cyclists, triathletes, runners, and many more.  Jim is serving as the dietitian for the Armed Forces Cycling Team and works with scores of elite endurance athletes on a wide range of nutrition topics.  He has guest lectured extensively on topics including endurance nutrition, supplementation, diabetes, celiac and low gluten diets, anemia, cycling specific nutrition, nutrition periodizaiton, and is most well known for is enthusiastic and exciting lecturing style.  Jim has published more than a dozen abstracts and papers in peer reviewed journals, authored book chapters, and served as an abstract reviewer for the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.  He is continuing his research on iron deficiency and altitude acclimatization.

Currently, Jim lives in Colorado Springs with his wife Kristen, son Gavin and daughter Nina. To reach Jim for consultation services, he can be contacted at Forza Coaching at 925-586-5282 or at weinsteinjames@yahoo.com