Five Rules That Define Performance Nutrition

By Brad Kingsberg

What and how we eat and fuel our bodies has a great impact on our overall fitness and wellness. These choices, combined with a program of sound exercise including both aerobic and resistance training, are vital to optimal health. There are some simple truths about eating and exercise that many people overlook. There are five simple rules that can be applied to anyone’s lifestyle, whether you are young or old, active or sedentary, to get your body to perform at a higher level.

Rule One: Eat at least five times a day. Two or three meals are simply not enough. By doing this you’ll control your blood sugar and insulin levels, and consequently your energy. You’ll get protein in small amounts throughout the day to support growth and recovery and, most important, fat will not be stored, but used for energy. By providing your body with a consistent and frequent supply of calories, its need to store fat is reduced. Skipping meals is asking your body to store fat instead of burning it.

Rule Two: When planning each of your daily meals and or snacks, a calorie ratio of one part fat, two parts protein, and three parts carbohydrate is a good place to begin. This, however, is merely an estimate for average people. Depending on your fitness routine, you may need more or fewer carbohydrates for energy. Fat is essential for maintaining good health, so do not eliminate it from your diet! Just ensure that saturated fat (from animal sources) is kept low and that unsaturated fats predominate. You must consume enough protein to support muscle growth and recovery. Choose quality proteins (those low in fat) and mostly low-glycemic carbohydrates. They are converted to blood sugar slowly, which helps control insulin levels. Remember that proteins and carbohydrates have four calories per gram, but fat has nine calories per gram.

Rule Three: When you eat, ask yourself, “What am I going to be doing for the next three hours of my life?” If you nap, eat fewer carbohydrates; if you plan to exercise, eat more carbohydrates. In other words, adjust your carbohydrates up or down depending on your anticipated energy output.

Rule Four: You cannot lose fat quickly and efficiently unless you are in a negative calorie balance, taking in fewer calories than you are burning. Nor can you gain muscle efficiently unless you are in a positive calorie balance, taking in more calories than you need to maintain your current weight. It’s very difficult to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, so you must alternate periods of negative calorie balance with periods of positive calorie balance in accordance with your specific goals. This alternation provides two key benefits: First, it will adjust your metabolic rate upward, making it easier to keep fat off, and secondly it will support recovery and lean tissue building by controlling insulin and glucose.

Rule Five: It is almost impossible to get all of the nutrients your body needs to remain healthy and active from food alone, particularly if you are on a diet. Therefore it is important to supplement your diet with vitamins and minerals to ensure maximum progress towards your fitness, health, muscle building and fat loss goals.