Sports Nutrition 235: The Most Important Pre-Race Meal, Ideal Aid Station Fare, Beta-Alanine as a Lactic Acid Buffer, and More

September 9, 2016
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Ben Greenfield is back for Sports Nutrition 235:

  • Neurofeedback training
    • Alpha beta imbalances
    • Decreases distraction
    • More focus
    • Like meditation (but way more expensive)
    • Check out: Peak Brain Institute and Dr. Andrew Hill
  • Maffetone’s 2-week test to test carb intolerance (CI).
    • What does it mean when you have some positive outcomes such as less bloating and more focused, but also some negative outcomes such as breaking out on the face?
  • Detoxing and “coming off” sugar and carbs
    • Glucose restriction causes our body to tap into adipose tissue to burn fat
    • During this process, toxins can be released
    • Ending a higher carb diet also means killing off fungal overgrowths, etc, which can lead to short-term detox symptoms
  • How to mitigate the negative effects during a detox:
    • Hydrate to flush out toxins
    • Liver detox supplements: NAC, milk thistle, glutathione, liquid trace minerals
    • Whole foods that detox: cilantro, parsley, onion, dandelion root
    • Infrared sauna
    • Skin brushing
  • Beta-alanine supplementation: What does it do, pros and cons, can it benefit endurance athletes, does intensity matter, dosage, and when to take?
    • Precursor to carnosine, which may improve exercise recovery, wound-healing, antioxidant, anti-aging
    • Buffer to lactic acid increases at higher intensities (buffering accumulated hydrogen ions)
    • May increase power output
    • Best for exercise that’s short-to-moderate duration and high power output (not as effective for moderate aerobic/MAF exercise intensities)
    • Can cause flushing
    • Combine with baking soda for more effective results, but only microdose baking soda
    • ~5g/d; consume before exercise
  • Carbs before a race and “carb-loading” strategies for fat-adapted, health-conscious and/or LCHF athletes
    • Which meal is the “most important” before your race? (Hint: not the pre-race dinner)
    • Have the “bulk” of carbs at breakfast or lunch the day before the race because absorption of carbs takes 8-12 hours (i.e. carbs become muscle and liver glycogen)
    • May consider small frequent snacks the day before instead of large meals
    • Fat oxidation levels and your “diet” – burning fat even if you eat carbs
    • Glucose will always be the preferred energy source even if you’re a fat-burner, in keto, etc.
    • Ben and Tawnee share personal thoughts on carbs for athletes from a health and performance perspective
    • More on race-morning breakfasts on SN 230
  • Building the ideal healthy aid station for endurance athletes – what would this includes?
    • Macadamia nuts
    • Low-sugar fat-based gels, i.e. chia gels, nut-butter gels, Muir gels, etc
    • Minerals, such as sea salt
    • Sugar-free electrolyte beverage
    • Effervescent electrolyte tablets

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