Issue link: https://cp.revolio.com/i/1129210
www.AbbysHealthFood.com - Issue 38 | Page 27 training athletes. However, for most of you, the vast majority of these energy bars and powders only add hazardous toxins, chemicals, and useless calories to your diet. Addi onally, any good kinesiologist or muscle tes ng chiropractor will show you how sugar drama cally reduces your strength. While athletes that train at high levels may need to replace their depleted carbohydrates with sugar immediately following a workout or game, if you're exercising at a more moderate level, or not at all, these extra sugars just turn to fat, causing an overworked pancreas and worn out adrenal glands. The fact is, ea ng whole, organic and biodynamic foods tailored to your nutri onal type is the cket to op mal performance, whether you're a professional athlete or a weekend warrior on the tennis court. If you have not already done so, I recommend you read through my Op mized Nutri on Plan to get started on the path to op mal health, regardless of your current fitness level. What About Sports Drinks? Sports drinks hit $7.5 billion in sales last year alone, and according to the trade journal Beverage Digest, sports drinks were the third fastest growing beverage category in the United States in 2006, a er energy drinks and bo led water. Of course they want you to believe sports drinks are healthy and increase performance! But when you look at the main ingredients: water, high-fructose corn syrup, and salt, are you really giving your body what it needs to func on op mally? The real problem lies in their choice of ingredients – the use of high-fructose corn syrup in par cular – which should be your first p-off that this stuff is bad news. High-fructose corn syrup -- the number one source of calories in the US -- is the most prevalent sweetener used in foods and beverages today, and has been clearly linked to the rise in obesity and metabolic syndrome. Just like other sugars it disrupts your insulin levels, which in turn will increase your risk of nearly every chronic disease there is. The ONLY me you should resort to these drinks is a er vigorous exercise, such as cardiovascular aerobic ac vity, for a minimum of 45 minutes to an hour, and you're swea ng profusely as a result of that ac vity. Anything less than 45 minutes will simply not result in a large enough fluid loss to jus fy using these high- sodium, high-sugar drinks. And, even if you're exercising for more than an hour, I s ll believe drinking plain, pure water is the best op on to rehydrate yourself. Four Simple Energy Rules for Athletes Please understand that energy and stamina doesn't come from sugar. Taking in simple carbs like sugar, corn syrup, pasta, or bread before an event will tend to cause a quick spike in your blood sugar followed by a corresponding fall, making you feel more exhausted than before. More than anything, simple carbs and excess complex carbs will make you sluggish and hamper your performance. If you want to create energy naturally, here are some simple rules to follow: 1. Just before a game or hard workout, eat a li le bit of fruit, such as an apple, plum, pear, citrus fruit (not juice) or berries. They're great right before a game or workout, as they give you a small spike without the massive plummet. 2. Two to three hours before a game or hard workout, complex carbs, fats and a small amount of protein will do the trick. Sweet potatoes, brown rice, olive oil, almond bu er, coconut oil, walnuts, almonds and eggs are all easy to digest and can give you more sustained energy for the day. 3. Post exercise, your body is nitrogen- poor and your muscles have been broken down. That's why you need amino acids from animal proteins like chicken, beef and eggs, as well as vegetable carbohydrates. 4. Although many experts have advised athletes to load up on carbs before a long-distance event, fact is, burning sugar is not what happens over long distances. A er a short period of me, par cularly at slower paces, your body is burning fats. Therefore, rather than loading up on carbs, more long distance runners are loading up on fats and small amounts of proteins prior to racing, with no more carbs than the body can easily store anyway.