The difference between Nutrition and Calories

The subject of food can be a very confusing one.  There’s a lot of information coming at us from all angles, and sometimes it’s a challenge to sort out fact from fad.  As athletes, it is especially important for us to pay attention to what we put in our mouths.  We tend to put our bodies through enormous effort, and we expect it to keep putting out, regardless of what we put in.  Remember that old 80’s expression regarding the new personal computer – “garbage in, garbage out”?  That’s exactly how our bodies respond.

Imagine an athlete as a sports car.  If you spent a lot of money on a new sports car, lovingly polished it every week, drove it to it’s limits on windy country roads, and made sure it was parked inside your garage, under a tarp, do you think you’d put low grade, cheap ethanol-infused gas in your pride-and-joy?  I don’t.  You should think of your body in the same way, and this shouldn’t just apply to athletes.  The human body is one of the most incredible organic machines, and can do literally miraculous things if you give it what it needs most – good nutrition.

Let’s start with the simple stuff.  What is a calorie?  It’s a measure of energy.  It takes a certain number of calories (energy molecules)  just to sustain you, and this is your basal metabolism.  Any activity you do on top of just living and breathing requires more energy, or more calories.  Athletes require more calories every day than an average sedentary person.  So now we’ve established that we need to take in calories, or energy, where do we get it from?  The simple answer is food. 

Your body uses food in three basic formats:  as fat, as carbohydrates (or sugars) and as proteins.  Since our food choices are so incredibly varied these days, it has become crucial to read labels and containers to determine the format in which we are taking in these basic components of food.  Some are better than others, and some we really don’t want to touch with a barge-pole.  The discussion of vitamins and minerals is for another day!

I’ll break it down a bit further.

Proteins : When looking for proteins, think lean, anti-biotic free and small portions.  As a nation we eat too much animal protein.  Our bodies are not equipped to deal with enormous portions, and we don’t need it.  If you don’t eat animal products, nuts are a wonderful source of protein, and every vegetable and fruit you eat has about 9% protein content, so you’re likely getting a good bit.

Fats : There has been much confusion regarding fats, and a lot of very bad information has been doled out to us regarding fats and how dangerous they can be.  The bottom line is that your brain can’t function without good fats, and your organs rely on fat to cushion them and keep them healthy.  There are also vitamins which can only be absorbed in the presence of fat, and they are vital for our health. 

Concentrate on healthy plant fats like avocados, olives and cold pressed, unprocessed plant oils such as olive oil.  Avoid processed fats, heated fats or fat from animal products (though who can resist bacon, right?!).  By the way, heating any cold-pressed oils negates any nutritional value.  The heat kills the good stuff.

Carbohydrates : Absolutely essential for brain function (simple sugars are the only nutrient that effectively runs your brain), and for energy.  Carbs have got a bad rap for making you fat, and while that is true of eating too many carbohydrates, an athlete just cannot function without them.  Very simply, carbs are classified by their Glycemic Index, which means how small their molecules are and how quickly they are absorbed into the blood-stream.  Our goal in life should be to keep our blood-sugar levels as even as we can.  The pancreas doesn’t like releasing insulin into the blood-stream constantly to drop our bl00d-sugar levels.  So, we would be better off choosing carbohydrates with low glycemic index levels, and avoiding those with high glycemic index levels. 

For example, sweet potatoes have a lower glycemic index than white potatoes, brown rice is lower than white, whole wheat flour is lower than white flour.  You get the picture. 

Fruit works a little differently because the sugars in some are “simpler” than in others, but for the most part fruit has a lower glycemic index than table sugar, and the vitamins and minerals you get in fruit are vital for health.

Your body works a little bit like a car.  You drive a little way, and you need to put in some fuel.  And then you can drive a bit more.  The 45 minute period post training or competing is crucial, and it’s important to make wise choices then.  Your body is craving a tank full of gas, it’s wide open to receive nutrients to restore, rebuild and regenerate.  So give it the good stuff.   Choose that turkey sandwich over the chocolate cake, and that chocolate milk over the coke.

Things to consider:

1) Simple sugars are only your friend on the bike.  Eat complex carbs (and all the other stuff) post training, and leave desert for desert.  Make sure you’re putting in the good stuff first.

2) Avoid things in boxes, bags, cans or bottles.  If it didn’t come out of the ground, off a tree, or have parents, don’t eat it.  Or at least, eat it in VERY small quantities.

3) Learn to become a good reader of labels.  Take your time and really learn about what you’re putting in your mouth. Ask questions.

4) Good health begins with good nutrition.  Go and research what food molecules do at a cellular level in your body.  You will be amazed at how spectacularly efficient the human machine is at healing itself when you give it the good gas.

I encourage everyone to put as much effort into understanding the role of nutrition on your body as you do into your cycling training.  Don’t tip the garbage can into your Lamborghini!