Recovery from all the effort |
| Ever wondered
why elite riders sem to mention smoothies after races, alot these days. Heres
some info by Joe Friel excerpted from The Paleo Diet for Athletes by Joe Friel
and Dr. Loren Cordain, due out this Autumn 2004. |
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| During
exercise, body fluids shift increasingly toward an acidic state. There is also
considerable evidence indicating that as we age, our blood and other body
fluids become increasingly acidic. This natural tendency toward a reduced pH
with aging when combined with exercise creates a cumulative effect resulting in
a disturbingly lowered pH (increased acidity). But regardless of age, if this
acidic state following exercise is allowed to persist for some period of time
the risk of nitrogen and calcium loss is greatly increased. The reason for this
is that the body attempts to reduce the acidity by releasing minerals into the
blood and other body fluids that have a net alkaline-enhancing (acid-reducing)
effect thus counteracting the increased acidity. Calcium from the bones and
nitrogen from the muscles meet this need. |
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| The problem is
that in neutralizing the acid this way we give up valuable structural
resources. You're essentially peeing off bone and muscle as the acidity of your
blood stays high. While cannibalizing tissue in this way is necessary from a
strictly biological perspective, this is an "expensive" way to solve the
problem from an athletic perspective. For while body fluids may be chemically
balanced in this process, future performance and even health may well be
jeopardized as muscle and bone are compromised. |
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| Research has
shown that fruits and vegetables are the only foods that have a net
alkaline-enhancing effect (Remer, T. and F. Manz. "Potential renal acid load of
foods and its influence on urine pH." J Am Diet Assoc 95: 791-7). So by using
fruits and juices, which have a net alkaline-enhancing effect (reduced acidity)
in your recovery drink you are doing more than merely replacing carbohydrate
stores; you're also potentially sparing bone and muscle. |
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| Homebrew
Recipes Based on all of the above then, what you would like to have in a
homemade recovery drink are fruits and juices to provide fluids and
slow-releasing carbohydrate with electrolytes while reducing blood acidity,
added glucose as a quickly absorbed source of energy, protein to replace what
was used in exercise and to prevent further muscle breakdown during recovery,
and added sodium since fruits and juices are low in this electrolyte. You can
make such a "smoothie" drink in your blender from food sources available in
your kitchen. Start by putting about 12 to 24 ounces of fruit juice in a
blender according to your body weight as shown in the table below. Apple,
grape, grapefruit, orange and pineapple are good choices due to their
relatively high glycemic loads (glycemic index multiplied by carbohydrate
content) and electrolyte makeup. To this add a fruit and glucose (also called
"dextrose") according to the table. (Glucose may be purchased online at
BulkFoods.com, MandevilleCompany.com, Sausage-Stuffer.com, SpokaneSpice.com and
SportQuestDirect.com.) Then, with the blender still running, add protein powder
from either egg or whey sources. Sprinkle in two or three pinches of table
salt. To chill it, add a handful of ice if you didn't use frozen berries in the
recipe. There you have it-a fairly inexpensive drink that has all of the
ingredients needed for immediate recovery. Recipes for "homebrew" recovery
drink by body weight. Each recipe also includes one fruit source and two to
three pinches of table salt. |
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| Body WeightPounds (kg) |
Ounces of fruit juice |
Tablespoons of glucose |
Tablespoons of proteinpowder |
Total Calories(approx) |
| 100 (45.5) |
12 |
2 |
1.5-2 |
390-415 |
| 110 (50.0) |
12 |
2 |
1.5-2 |
390-415 |
| 120(54.5) |
12 |
3 |
2 |
445 |
| 130(59.1) |
12 |
4 |
2-2.5 |
470-495 |
| 140 (63.6) |
16 |
4 |
2.5-3 |
550-575 |
| 150 (68.2) |
16 |
4 |
2.5-3 |
550-575 |
| 160 (72.7) |
16 |
5 |
2.5-3 |
580-605 |
| 170 (77.3) |
20 |
5 |
3-3.5 |
660-685 |
| 180 (81.8) |
20 |
5 |
3-3.5 |
660-685 |
| 190 (86.4) |
24 |
5 |
3-3.5 |
720-740 |
| 200 (90.9) |
24 |
5 |
3-3.5 |
720-740 |
| 210 (95.5) |
24 |
6 |
3-4 |
750-790 |
|
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| You don't need
to use such a recovery drink after every workout; only after those that include
a significant amount of high intensity or those that are 60 to 90 minutes or
longer. The more fit you are the longer the workout, which triggers the need
for such a recovery drink. After short and low intensity workouts you can make
the homebrew drink without the glucose. Be careful using this recovery drink
when you don't need it as the high glycemic load is likely to add unwanted
pounds of body fat. |
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| Seems some BP garages now
serve up freshly made smoothies, so you could grab a recovery tonic on your way
home from an event and try it for yourself. |
| from Joe's
e-tips |