News Home

Weekly Nutrition Tip: Kickstart Your Day

April 18 2012

By Debra Meszaros CSN
www.clubmx-sc.com
www.MXSportsNutrition.com


Kickstart Your Day

You've heard it before, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. This might very well be true but even more important is what you actually eat for breakfast.

To a Motocross athlete in training, the quality of your breakfast can be the difference in how well your day of training will actually go. Skipping breakfast is not an option, especially for an athlete. Breakfast can dictate what your body will be running on and asking for throughout the day. Choosing the right food is like getting the holeshot, it feels good and puts you in a great position for the rest of the race (day)! So what is the "right" food?

While you sleep your body is using amino acids (proteins) to complete its functioning, rebuilding and replacing of cells; and due to an athlete's workout program, you use even more than the average person would. The result is you wake up with a depletion of your amino acids (protein), basically you are protein starved. Waking up and consuming a high carbohydrate breakfast allows your body to remain in a protein starved state and the carbohydrate conversion to sugar sets your body up to burn those short term sugars as its fuel. Within an hour your body will be calling for some more fuel, which usually comes to you as a craving for, (guess what?), more simple carbohydrates and sugar. This sets the pace for a cycle of short lived energy and the chances for developing the number one addiction in the United States, sugar addiction. Setting this as your daily routine trains your body (and mind) to run on simple carbohydrate sugar. Continuing this practice long term stresses the organs of your body, and perhaps the most important gland to a motocross athlete, your adrenals. It further sets you up for a hypothyroid condition, dehydration dysfunction, and possibly loss of concentration.

So what's for breakfast?

Your muscle, hair, skin, connective tissue, enzymes, hormones, and neurotransmitters all rely on the building blocks of the human body, protein. Simply there are two things your body cannot live without, water and protein. Since the body has little capacity to store protein, not eating protein for a day or so will trigger the body to breakdown its own muscle! Beginning your day with ample protein is key to a balanced diet and fine tuning your body's performance. I suggest leaving the Wheaties and Cherrios in the grocery store.

What is a balanced breakfast?

Depending on your time factor this is how to start your day: Upon awakening consume a piece of fruit of your choice then hit the shower. Afterwards prepare yourself a protein shake made with protein powder, coconut or almond milk or coconut water, a tablespoon of coconut flakes or flax seed or flax seed oil and blend. If you enjoy a thicker shake then add some plain greek yogurt and blend. This should be your beverage for breakfast and works well for those who claim they are not hungry in the morning. You can also include eggs, a slice of sprouted grain bread (with butter or coconut oil spread), turkey, chicken, or even wild caught salmon (lox). A great combo is: A slice of sprouted grain bagel, Nancy's cream cheese (thin layer), 2-3 slices of lox, tomato, avocado and capers. These examples provide quality protein and fats, both of which are long term endurance type fuels.

When a good thing turns bad...

So you're ready to make adjustments and add protein to your breakfast, that is good. Can a good thing turn bad? Yes. How? When you decide to eat the same thing every morning! A rotational diet is one of the best practices you can implement for your body. Your body loves variety, hates monotony. Pick four to five choices of proteins and rotate them throughout your week, separating each of them from themselves by four days. This means whatever your choice was for Monday you will not eat again until Friday. The next practice is throw out the idea that breakfast has to be what society has brainwashed you to believe it should be and eat turkey, chicken or fish for breakfast. Leave the croissants, Danishes, donuts and breakfast cereals in the store.



-2012 Debra Meszaros MXSportsNutrition.com. All rights reserved; no duplication without permission
DISCLAIMER: When you read through the diet and lifestyle information, you must know that everything within it is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional. I am making no attempt to prescribe any medical treatment. You should not use the information here for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment. The products and the claims made about specific products have not been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. You should consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem. Confirm the safety of any supplements with your M.D., N.D. or pharmacist (healthcare professional). Some information given is solely an opinion, thought and or conclusion based on experiences, trials, tests, assessments or other available sources of information. I do not make any guarantees or promises with regard to results. I may discuss substances that have not been subject to double blind clinical studies or FDA approval or regulation. You assume the responsibility for the decision to take any natural remedy.

You and only you are responsible if you choose to do anything with the information you have read. You do so at your own risk. Use your intelligence to make the decisions that are right for you. Consulting a naturopathic doctor is strongly advised especially if you have any existing disease or condition.