Tidbit Tuesday - Nutrient Timing
Hello,
Welcome to another Tidbit Tuesday where we aim to teach you something new about nutrition, health, and fitness each week. This week we are going to talk about Nutrient Timing, which refers to eating specific nutrients (micro and macro nutrients), in specific amounts, at specific times (such as before, during, or after exercise).
Nutrient timing is a very complex subject that has several books and studies written on the topic, we will take a deeper look into some of these, but this gist of it is... It can be helpful, or it may just add unnecessary complexity to your schedule. There is no right or wrong choice, as long as whichever choice you make is actually helping you improve your health, performance, and body composition.
And the reason why, it depends. I say this because depending on your specific goals, along with subtle nuances within our genetic expression, a different approach will work for different people. There is no “one size fits all” approach when it comes to Nutrient Timing and how to maximize the benefits that you could possibly get from your food intake.
For example, if you’re a bodybuilder or endurance athlete, the meaning of nutrient timing is much different than if you’re an overweight office worker just getting into exercise and trying to improve your nutrition. For folks like pro bodybuilders, physique competitors, and/or weight class athletes, an extra half-percent of body fat can mean the difference between winning and losing. These athletes often engage in training or events lasting longer than two hours at a stretch, where added carbohydrates, electrolytes, and a little protein can go a really long way.
For most of us, most of the time, nutrient timing demands extra effort, requires additional planning, and adds dietary complexity… with minimal return. Also, the best nutrient timing in the world won’t compensate for a poor-quality, mindless, and/or inconsistent intake.
Rather, ensure that you are following these 5 steps before worrying about ‘timing’:
1) How much are you eating?
· 80% full, 100% full, 110% full?
2) How you are eating?
· Slowly and mindfully.
3) Why are you eating?
· Hungry, bored, stressed, social cues?
4) What are you eating?
· Minimally processed, nutrient dense foods.
5) Are you doing #1 to #4 properly, consistently?
· The 80/20 Principle.
Once you have been consistently achieving most of your general health and fitness goals, but you are still hungry for more, then it is time to decide how serious you want to take your journey.
First question to ask is, “what am I training for”?
We want to get a little more specific as to the type of fuel we are adding to your body, and also when we are adding that fuel.
For most individuals, by eating a healthy, well-considered meal 1-2 hours before exercise, and another healthy, well-considered meal within 1-2 hours after exercise, most people can meet their workout nutrition needs without anything else. If you’re a healthy person who exercises regularly, you probably don’t need special workout nutrition strategies.
However, if you follow under one of these training categories you made want to consider a strategy:
Endurance athlete - You train for high-level competition. You log a lot of high intensity miles each week. For you, carbohydrate and calorie needs are likely higher. You could add a protein + carbohydrate drink during your training.
Training as a bodybuilder - You lift weights with serious muscle growth in mind. You want to gain weight. Your protein and calorie needs are likely higher. You could also add a protein + carbohydrate drink during your training.
Getting ready for a fitness competition - You accumulate a lot of exercise hours. You’re trying to drop to a single-digit body fat percentage. For you, carb intake should be lower. You’d benefit from the performance-enhancing, muscle-preserving essential amino acids during your training.
Again, not everyone needs, or should worry about, Nutrient Timing. For most of us, even those of us who are fairly active, simply continue to practice healthy habits and all the rest will fall into place.
When deciding what and when to eat before activity consider what suits your individual needs, you can simply have normal meal in the few hours before exercise. Or you can have a smaller meal just before your exercise session.
During exercise, what you eat and drink is only important under specific circumstances. But if you are going to eat during exercise, your goals will be similar to those for pre-workout nutrition. Above all, you’ll want to maintain hydration, so for most, water is all you need here.
Just like pre-workout, consider what suits your individual needs and re-fuel, within 1 to 2 hours post-workout, based on the type of activity that you just completed. Post-workout nutrition can help you:
· Recover;
· Rehydrate;
· Refuel;
· Build muscle; and
· Improve future performance.
Sometimes after training you might not feel hungry. And that is okay. If you don’t feel like eating, you can go with liquid nutrition. There are tons of great smoothie recipes available!
For most of us, people without athletic competitions on the horizon, the best pre- and post-training meals will contain some combination of high-quality protein, high quality carbohydrates, healthy fats, and some fruits and vegetables.
If this didn’t scratch your itch and you want to take an even deeper look into Nutrient Timing and how each macro-nutrient affects your body pre, during, and post workout. Check out Precision Nutrition’s article “workout nutrition explained”.
https://www.precisionnutrition.com/workout-nutrition-explained
If you need any help figuring what to eat and when, e-mail us now and we can get you started!
Happy Eating!
Your friend in Health & Fitness,
Coach Sean
