Foods for Lifelong Health

BY KATHLEEN WOOLF, PhD, RD
As an athlete, you know that healthy eating prepares your body for optimal performance. Did you know that your food choices today influence your health tomorrow? Healthy eating can significantly lower your risk for future disease such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, obesity and diabetes. Swimmers and non-swimmers alike can achieve their goal of lifelong health and fitness by selecting from the following top foods:

Berries are full of antioxidants and help to protect your body from cancer, heart disease and even Alzheimer’s disease. Berries are simple to prepare. After rinsing, add blueberries, raspberries, strawberries or blackberries to cereal, frozen yogurt and salads.

Salmon contains lots of omega-3 fats, the type of fat shown to lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, dementia and depression. Include two servings of salmon per week to provide your body with this healthy fat. Choose wild salmon over farmed salmon.

Whole grains (whole wheat bread, popcorn, brown rice, oatmeal and barley) are good sources of fiber and nutrients and provide your body with carbs, your fuel for exercise. Whole grains consist of the entire grain seed. Look for the words “whole” or “whole grain” when reviewing ingredient lists to ensure you are selecting whole grains. A diet rich in whole grains can lower your risk for diabetes, colon cancer,and inappropriate weight gain.

Low fat milk and dairy products provide your body with protein, calcium, phosphorous and vitamin D, important nutrients for bone health. Vitamin D also blunts the risk of several diseases including multiple sclerosis, cancer and diabetes. For optimal health, incorporate low fat (skim or 1%) milk and yogurt into your meals and snacks several times a day.

Green veggies such as spinach, collards, broccoli, kale and asparagus are full of nutrients (vitamin A, vitamin C, folate iron, and phytochemicals) and help lower risk of birth defects, heart disease, cancer and age-related vision loss. Choose a variety of vegetables every day. Green veggies can be roasted, stir fried, or added to a salad or soup.

Water. Many individuals, including swimmers, are at risk of dehydration. Dehydration can lead to headaches, fatigue and poor performance. Stay hydrated by including 8-10 glasses of water a day. Avoid energy drinks and caffeinated beverages as they may lead to further dehydration.

By focusing on these nutrient-rich foods, you will fuel your body for today and protect your health for decades to come.

Fast Food How To Lift The Guise On Healthier Choices

Reprinted from Mayo Clinic Nutrition Letter with permission

of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research,  Rochester, Minnesota 55905

By changing menus and methods of cooking, fast-food restaurants are making it easier for you to eat more healthfully. But don't be fooled by products that sound healthy. Here are our suggestions for how you truly can trim calories and fat:

• Be salad savvy -- Avoid the mistake of thinking "salad" is synonymous with "diet food." Salads can be sneaky about fat and calories. The taco salads offered at Wend's and Jack In The Box each deliver 500-plus calories, more than half of which come from fat. The meat and cheese in chef salads invariably overpower the vegetables to increase fat. Chicken and seafood salads usually are lower in fat and calories, averaging less than 200 calories.

It's the dressings that provide the crowning touch. They can add as much as 400 calories to any salad. Watch out for packaged dressings that contain more than one serving.

The calories and other nutrients are given for a one-half ounce serving, yet some packages hold up to 2.5 ounces. Ask for reduced or low-calorie salad dressing.

• Choose chicken carefully -- Chicken may be naturally lower in fat than hamburger, but when breaded and fried, it loses its nutritional edge. At 688 calories and 40 grams of fat, Burger King's Chicken Specialty has 100 more calories and 20 percent more fat than McDonald's Big Mac. Chicken chunks, strips and "stix" have fewer calories than chicken sandwiches, but still carry a heavy load of fat.

The leanest chicken sandwich we found is Jack In The Box Chicken Fajita Pita for 292 calories and 8 grams of fat -- if you skip the guacamole.

• Be suspicious of specialty sandwiches -- Even non-fried sandwiches made with lean turkey or ham can be deceiving. Hardee's Turkey Club packs more calories and as much fat as McDonald's Quarter Pounder. General clues to keep in mind when deciding about this type of sandwich are its size and the amount of cheese, mayonnaise or special sauces.

• Order burgers plain and non-imposing -- You know you're headed for calories and fat if you order a burger billed "jumbo," "ultimate," "double" or "deluxe." You may have to search the menu board a bit, but all major franchises offer a plain hamburger for under 300 calories. At Hardee's and Roy Rogers, the roast beef sandwich is one of the leanest items you can order.

• Don't read too much into the hype about healthier fat -- Switching from animal to vegetable fats is one step to lowered dietary cholesterol and saturated fat. But it doesn't transform fried foods into healthy options. Large orders of McDonald's french fries (cooked in an animal/vegetable blend) and Hardee's french fries (cooked in vegetable oil) have about 20 grams of total fat. Hardee's fries have no cholesterol and a bit less saturated fat. But the key to your heart health is trimming total fat, and all fried fast foods still fail to do that.

• You make the call -- Fast food has come a long way since the days of only burgers, fries and shakes. More food options can make it easier for you to elude excess fat and calories for speed and convenience. Nevertheless, it all comes down to what you say when the person at the counter asks, "May I take your order?"

Here are the leanest and fattest fast foods you can eat

We* reviewed products offered at six popular fast-food franchises. In terms of fat and calories, here are the best and worst choices you can make:

Best Picks Calories Fat(grams)

• Burger King Chicken Tenders (6 pieces) 204 10
• Hardee's Chicken Stix (6 pieces) 234 10
• Jack In The Box Chicken Fajita Pita 292 8
• McDonald's Hamburger 257 10
• Roy Rogers Roast Beef Sandwich 317 10
• Wendy's Plain Single 350 16

Worst Picks Calories Fat(grams)

• Burger King Whopper with Cheese 711 43
• Hardee's Bacon Cheeseburger 556 33
• Jack In The Box Ultimate Cheeseburger 942 69
• McDonald's McD.L.T. 674 42
• Roy Rogers Bar Burger 611 39
• Wendy's Bacon Swiss Burger 710 44

Note: Calories and fat are based on the most recent printed information provided to us by each company.

Eating on the Road

By Linda Houtkooper, Ph.D., R.D. Linda is a Food Nutrition Specialist at the Cooperative Extension Service at the University of Arizona. She was once the author of a question/answer column in Swimming World magazine and she gave a presentation on nutrition at the ASCA World Clinic.

What should swimmers eat when swim meet or vacation takes them on the road? Should the foods for best performance be sacrificed for popular, convenient, fatty foods or is there something else they can eat?

Swimming success depends on ability, top-notch training, coaching, and good nutrition. Proper nutrition for swimmers includes foods that provide all essential nutrients in the proper amounts for good health and performance.

Nutrition-conscious swimmers know that they need high carbohydrate, low fat foods to perform their best. The best diet for training and performance is the VIM diet.

V= Variety of wholesome foods that provide the proper amount of nutrients to maintain desirable levels of body water, lean body mass, and fat. These foods will also maintain good health.

I= Eat foods that are individualized. Foods should reflect personal like. They should also make it possible to follow religious food preferences. Avoid foods that cause allergic reactions, and those the body can’t tolerate. Only use nutritional supplements recommended by your doctor or registered dietician.

M= Eat moderate amounts of foods that are high in fat, sugar, or sodium.

Use the suggestions below to maintain your top-notch VIM diet “on the road.”

Breakfast

• Order pancakes, French toast, muffins, toast, or cereal, and fruit or fruit juices. These foods are all higher in carbohydrates and lower in fat than the traditional egg and bacon breakfasts. Request that toast, pancakes, or muffins be served without butter or margarine. Use syrup or jam to keep carbohydrate high and fat to a low. Choose low fat dairy products, milk, hot chocolate, etc. Fresh fruit may be expensive or difficult to find. Carry fresh and/or dried fruits with you. Cold cereal can be a good breakfast or snack; carry boxes in the car or on the bus. Keep milk in a cooler or purchase it at convenience stores.

Lunch

• Remember that most of the fat in sandwiches is found in the spread. Prepare or order your sandwiches without the “mayo,” “special sauce,” or butter. Use ketchup or mustard instead. Peanut butter and jelly is a favorite and easy to make, but remember that peanut butter is high in fat. Use whole grain bread and spread more jelly, while using a small amount of peanut butter. Avoid all fried foods at fast food places. Salad bars can be lifesavers, but watch the dressings, olives, fried croutons, nuts, and seeds; or you could end up with more fat than any super burger could hope to hold! Use low fat luncheon meats such as skinless poultry and lean meats. Low fat bologna can be found in the stores, but read labels carefully. Baked potatoes should be ordered with butter and sauces “on the side.” Add just enough to moisten the carbohydrate-rich potato. Soups and crackers can be good low fat meals; avoid cream soups. Fruit juices and low fat milk are more nutritious choices than soda pop.

Dinner

• Go to restaurants that offer high-carbohydrate foods such as pasta, baked potatoes, rice, breads, vegetables, salad bars, and fruits. Eat thick crust pizzas with low fat toppings such as green peppers, mushrooms, Canadian bacon, and onions. Avoid fatty meats, extra cheese, and olives. Eat breads without butter or margarine. Use jelly instead. Ask for salads with dressing “on the side” so you can add minimal amounts yourself.

Snacks

• Eat whole grain bread, muffins, fruit, fruit breads, low fat crackers, pretzels, unbuttered popcorn, oatmeal raisin cookies, fig bars, animal crackers, fruit juice, breakfast cereal, canned meal replacements, and dried and fresh fruits.

Fast Food Breakfast Choices

Warm-ups for the morning session start at 7:00 am, your two children need a breakfast, you're in a strange town, and the only place you can find for breakfast is one of the fast food places. What to do?

The most important thing to do is avoid fats for two reasons: 1) Fats have an immediate and dramatic effect on the ability of the circulatory system to carry nutrients, especially oxygen, to muscle cells. For young people about to participate in a swimming meet this is a definite handicap. And 2) As part of developing lifetime habits for long term health, people of all ages should keep their daily fat intake to less than 30 percent of the total calories consumed.

The Mayo Clinic Nutrition Letter offers these tips:*

You don't always have to nix nutrition for speed and convenience. Fast foods may not make ideal meals, but some do offer healthful carbohydrate and only moderate amounts of fat. You also can downplay fat excesses by sorting out subtle differences among items. Consider these points the next time you're grabbing breakfast on the run:

Keep it simple -- The fewer ingredients you order in breakfast sandwiches, the lower the fat, sodium and calories. Hold the sausage and bacon.

Order it "drier that a biscuit" -- The English muffin is the lowest-fat breakfast food on most quick-service menus. Order it dry and substitute jelly for the butter; this virtually eliminates fat. When other ingredients are equal, a sandwich made on an English muffin is lower in fat than one on a biscuit. Croissant sandwiches are highest in fat. "Croissant" may sound light and airy, but it contains twice the fat of a biscuit and six times the fat of an English muffin.

Choose "cakes" instead of eggs --Pancakes, even with a little butter, offer more energizing carbohydrate and less fat and cholesterol than egg dishes.

Below are three of the lowest-fat breakfast options found by the Mayo Clinic Nutrition Letter: These meals supply 20 to 30 percent of daily protein for the average adult, about 25 percent of daily calories for the average women, complex carbohydrates, vitamin C, and, in one example, calcium.

1. McDonald's Hotcakes with butter and syrup, orange juice,coffee: 493 calories,16% of calories from fat.
2. McDonald's English muffin with butter, orange juice, low-fat milk: 384 calories, 23 % of calories from fat.
3. Jack in the Box Breakfast Jack (egg, ham and cheese on a hamburger bun), orange juice, coffee: 387 calories, 30 percent of calories from fat.

------------------------------------------

*Reprinted from Mayo Clinic Nutrition Letter with permission of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, Rochester, Minnesota, 55905.

The Importance of Breakfast

BY KATHLEEN WOOLF, PhD, RD//Correspondent
As a swimmer, many of your practices start early in the morning. When you rise before the sun, there is less time (and desire) for eating a healthy breakfast. However, breakfast is the most important meal of the day and can influence performance in school and the pool. A healthy breakfast should include whole grains, fruit, dairy and protein. Having breakfast as part of your daily routine is a habit worth keeping.

Time after time, research supports the importance of a good breakfast for top school performance. Kids who eat breakfast study, listen and concentrate better. In other words, skipping breakfast leads to poor school performance. Breakfast-skippers have lower intakes of many vitamins and minerals compared to breakfast-eaters. Physical performance also improves on the days a healthy breakfast is consumed.

If you have an early morning practice, your breakfast needs to be split in two: a “pre-event breakfast” and a “recovery breakfast.” Your “pre-event breakfast” is the last opportunity to “top off” your fuel stores before practice. Having a pre-event meal will delay fatigue during exercise. Include foods that can be quickly digested and absorbed, such as cereal and/or toast, fruit or 100% fruit juice and low-fat milk or dairy. You can even plan to eat the pre-event breakfast in the car on the way to practice. Peanut butter sandwiches, yogurt drinks, fruit, string cheese and bagels are all great examples of healthy “grab and go” foods.

Right after practice, you should eat your “recovery breakfast.” After your workout, your body is primed to store more carbohydrate than at any other time during the day, allowing your body to replenish its carbohydrate stores so that you are ready for your next practice or event. Carbohydrate-rich foods and beverages, such as cereal, 100% fruit juices, low fat milk and yogurt should be the core of your recovery breakfast. Also, include some protein, such as peanut butter, cheese, lean meat, or eggs, to help repair and rebuild muscle. If you don’t choose wisely, you will have a difficult time during your next workout.

Make sure you “break the fast” so that you can swim faster!

Kathleen Woolf, PhD, RD is a registered dietitian and a member of the American Dietetic Association, the Sports, Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group, and the American College of Sports Medicine. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at Arizona State University.