{"id":2642,"date":"2018-01-29T07:36:15","date_gmt":"2018-01-29T15:36:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jo-online.vsb.bc.ca\/blogs\/jo\/athletics\/?p=2642"},"modified":"2018-01-29T07:36:15","modified_gmt":"2018-01-29T15:36:15","slug":"food-and-athletes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vsb.bc.ca\/jo-athletics\/2018\/01\/29\/food-and-athletes\/","title":{"rendered":"Food and Athletes"},"content":{"rendered":"

http:\/\/theprovince.com\/health\/diet-fitness\/warming-up-for-the-winter-olympics\/wcm\/8ea987af-6310-4827-8040-a026290d5116<\/a><\/p>\n

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Food is fuel for Winter Olympians<\/h1>\n<\/header>\n
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\"RitaRITA DEMONTIS\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Published:<\/strong>January 28, 2018<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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While we\u2019re vegging out on the couch, you can bet our athletes will be burning some serious calories.<\/span><\/figure>\n
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The 2018 Winter Olympics\u00a0is set to kickoff in in early February in PyeongChang, South Korea, and we\u2019ll soon be marveling at the physical skill and incredible drive of the speed skaters, alpine skiers and hockey players. They\u2019ve got to be among the fittest, healthiest and most active people on the planet!<\/p>\n

Winter sports in general burn a lot of calories. On average, figure skaters burn 500 calories an hour, downhill skiers burn up to 600 an hour, and speed skating 600 an hour. Hockey players burn serious calories at 450 to 750 and biathlon competitors come in at 700 per hour, according to the American Council on Exercise. An hour of curling comes in at 272, according to myfitnesspal.<\/p>\n

Seeing these super humans in action may just move you \u2013 literally. Olympic winter sports are easily accessible for the weekend warrior, and so too is what they eat. As the saying goes: \u201cgood nutrition will never make an average athlete great, but it can make a great athlete average.\u201d Except maybe Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps \u2013 who used to pound back up to 10,000 calories a day made up of whole pizzas, fried-egg sandwiches topped with fried onions and mayo, ham and cheese sandwiches on white bread with more mayo, and lots more.<\/p>\n

\u201cPut unleaded gas into a sports car \u2013 it still runs but it runs more efficiently and effectively on premium, high-octane fuel,\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Most athletes eat clean and often. Think the old car analogy: \u201cPut unleaded gas into a sports car \u2013 it still runs but it runs more efficiently and effectively on premium, high-octane fuel,\u201d says Nicole Springle, lead in sport nutrition at the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario. Over time, bad fuel equals engine breakdown.<\/p>\n

Nicole Springle<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Springle helps elite competitors turn food into fuel, including some of the figure skaters competing in the Winter Games.\u201dWhether an elite or weekend athlete, there\u2019s no magic formula or superfoods that will provide perfect nutrition \u2013 it\u2019s a focus on balanced eating, with a variety of whole foods, at frequent intervals that best fuels performance,\u201d says Springle, of csiontario.ca.<\/p>\n

No fads or trends. To eat like an athlete, make sure your diet is a combination of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy, meat, fish, beans, nuts and seeds \u2013 a mix of foods that contain carbohydrates, protein, fats and a variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.<\/p>\n

Timing is everything when it comes to powering a podium performance: \u201cIf an athlete doesn\u2019t get enough of the right fuel in, at the right time, they miss a valuable window for optimizing recovery. They can still perform, but there is the chance that they could have recovered better, been able to push harder, gone long, and that\u2019s something no high performance athlete wants to leave to chance,\u201d says Springle,<\/p>\n

No foods are off limits: Food is part of our social, mental, emotional and spiritual health, so it\u2019s okay to indulge occasionally. \u201cDepriving yourself of the things you love can be more damaging than allowing yourself to enjoy the \u2018not so perfect\u2019 foods in moderation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The elite compete with cravings too. Like us mere mortals, they\u2019re tempted to eat when they\u2019re bored or stressed, join in with friends and families and eat the same thing everyone else is, have cravings for sugar or salt \u2013 \u201cthese athletes may be able to do superhuman feats, but in the end their kryptonite is the same as the rest of us,\u201d says Springer. \u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s important to have a team of people supporting them and helping them navigate these challenges and stay on track \u2013 no easy task!\u201d<\/p>\n

Eat like an athlete with these recipes from the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario:<\/p>\n

The Travelling Quesadilla<\/strong><\/p>\n

Use a hotel clothing iron to make a crispy quesadilla. It\u2019s an athlete favourite \u2013 perfect when on the road without access to a kitchen.<\/em><\/p>\n