If an athlete eats in a way that promotes chronic inflammation i.e. highly processed foods, tons of added sugar, fast food, soda etc. the body is bombarded and is unable to perform the way we would like it to. Overtime, this can greatly impede an athlete’s ability to reach their fullest potential when it comes to speed, agility, strength, and recovery.
By teaching young athletes to eat foods that improve immune function by decreasing overall inflammation, we can not only improve performance, but instead, help the athlete avoid health complications that may come with the aging process.
]]>When energy from nutrition is in proper balance, an athlete is able to train, sleep, and think at the highest level. When energy is not in balance, an athlete may notice a decline in health and performance. Common symptoms include fatigue, constant hunger, poor sleep quality, sore muscles, a weakened immune system (reoccurring illness and injury), and the inability to increase strength or lean muscle mass as desired. Sports nutrition has a direct impact on energy. When an athlete works with a sports dietitian to design an individualized nutrition strategy, overall energy is in balance, thereby giving the athlete that 1% edge over the competition. Remember, when energy is meeting training demands, health is in order. When health is in order, optimal performance naturally follows suit.
]]>Reminder: 20-35% of an athlete's calorie intake per day should come from fats, mostly from plant-based fats along with a smaller portion coming from animal based fats.
]]>Reminder: 20-35% of an athlete's calorie intake per day should come from fats, mostly from plant-based fats along with a smaller portion coming from animal based fats.
When to Eat Fats
Pre Game/Training Meal: Consume 20-35% of calories in this meal from healthy fats 30-60 minutes
Prior to Competition/Training: Limit fat during this time as it can cause GI upset
During a Competition/Training: @MammaChia Squeezes is what we recommend at Carbon Athletics during a competition or training. These squeezes are in a gel form so they are absorbed very quickly and are high in omega-3 fatty acids quickening muscle recovery.
Recovery Meal: Consume 20-35% of calories on in this meal from healthy fats
Good question. There are ample reasons why. Let's start with the fact that the right whole foods offer more pure nutrition than supplements. That’s because whole foods include components not available in pills and powders, like providing a synergistic value that supplements can’t match.
]]>Good question. There are ample reasons why. Let's start with the fact that the right whole foods offer more pure nutrition than supplements. That’s because whole foods include components not available in pills and powders, like providing a synergistic value that supplements can’t match.
Now let's take a quick look at powders. Regular supplementation with powders often creates excess calories, naturally decreasing the amount of whole foods an athlete consumes as well as decreasing muscle protein synthesis.
Another factor is price. Don’t discount the financial impact in the debate between whole foods and supplements. In most cases, whole foods are going to be a better price option than supplements.
]]>Carbohydrates are also important to preventing injuries. Consuming carbohydrates before and during prolonged periods of exercise help to maintain blood glucose during exercise, reduce stress hormones, and reduce the risk of injury.
If you are training heavy, you’ll want to consume an adequate amount of carbohydrates each day. This will help diminish immune inflammatory responses. And your post-workout target should be an intake of 1 to 1.2 g/kg of body weight within the first 30 minutes after exercise. Foods rich in carbohydrates include peas, potatoes, yams, whole grains (such as brown rice or quinoa), and food made with whole grains like bread, cereal, rice, and pasta.
Now let’s bring protein and carbs together to create real recovery magic. Try to combine your carbohydrates and protein during and after exercise. The benefits of this can include:
Your suggested intake ratio is 3 to 4 g of carbohydrate to 1 g of protein, with as little as 6 to 20 total grams of protein.
With a whole food approach (and following doctor’s orders), you can significantly decrease your recovery time. The body’s healing process will quicken if you eat the right foods (and proportions) rich in proteins and healthy carbs.
We have a saying at Carbon Athletics; “Eat to Compete.” We may need to change it to “Eat to Recover.”
]]>One misconception is that nutrition does not play an important role in injury recovery and prevention. This is a completely myth, proper nutrition can help the body to heal correctly and quickly. One of the reasons nutrition quickens recovery time is due to the nutrients inside whole foods, such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Whole foods also contain nutrients such as omega-3-fatty-acids that help to fight inflammation within the body which is key during injury recovery.
Whole foods should be consumed over supplements at all times but especially during injury recovery due to their beneficial synergistic and medicinal effects. When whole foods are consumed in adequate amounts and at the same time, they are broken down in the body in much more effective way than powders and supplements. You see, nutrient synergy is when two or more different nutrients work together to produce an effect that you could not get from either nutrient alone. So, the body is able to use the nutrients from whole foods we consume to help us absorb our food better or be more effective at promoting health than eating one food alone, so that is why whole foods should be consumed together.
When you’re injured, your body naturally requires more calories to heal. For example, an athlete who might require 2,000 kcal during a typical day with no exercise could see their energy requirements shoot up to 2,400 kcal after even a minor surgery. An athlete’s metabolic rate increases approximately 15 percent to 20 percent after injury or minor surgery. A major surgery can increase these needs by almost 50 percent.
To start the injury healing process, you should consume more protein. An injured athlete should aim for 1.5 to 2.0 g/kg body weight. They need to consume protein consistently AND distribute it evenly throughout the day at 20 to 30 g per meal or snack. And if you’re wondering what a food portion of 20 to 30 g of protein looks like? Consider these options the next time you need to pack on the protein:
When taking this all in, remember not to back-load all of your protein at dinner.
Let’s not forget about branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). Branched-chain amino acids are a group of three essential amino acids: leucine, isoleucine and valine. They are essential, meaning they can't be produced by your body and must be obtained from food. BCAA supplements have been shown to build muscle, decrease muscle fatigue and alleviate muscle soreness. Additionally, BCAAs have shown to be effective at:
Consider foods like chicken breast, lean beef, tuna, salmon, turkey breast, eggs, and peanuts to get your BCAAs.
In part 2 of this post, we will cover the second and equally important macronutrient in supporting injury healing and recovery – carbohydrates. Stay tuned.
]]>A direct cause of inflammation is an increase in the production of free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive oxidized molecules that cause damage to cells. So, you may be wondering where free radicals come from. When you exercise, one of the major byproducts of muscle contraction is free radicals. The more training an athlete performs, the more free radicals are generated, and these levels build up over time. To combat this effect, antioxidants can be incorporated into a diet to help to reduce and neutralize the number of free radicals in the body.
The job of antioxidants is to help repair the cellular damage caused by free radicals and neutralize their damaging effects. Antioxidants are in the body naturally and take the form of vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin A, selenium, and zinc. When antioxidants are at sub-optimal levels, an athlete should consider a diet rich in antioxidants. This type of diet should incorporate a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, lean meats, poultry, fatty fish, and nuts and seeds. On a daily basis an athlete should consume green tea, blueberries, apples, citrus fruits, broccoli, and pineapples, as well as spices like garlic and turmeric (often found in curry powder). Additionally, flavonoids, which act in plants as an antioxidant, can help manage inflammation through their antioxidant properties. Foods high in flavonoids include cocoa, tea, fruits, vegetables, and legumes.
The bottom line is this; there is a direct and scientific link between sports performance, injury prevention and nutrition. If you train hard, be sure to maintain a diet rich with food high in antioxidants so that you can stay on the field and play whatever game it is that you love.
Thankfully, resilience isn’t a genetic trait. It’s a set of thoughts, behaviors and actions that can be learned and developed by anyone, including the kindergartners. In fact, developing this skill early in life is easier because there are fewer bad habits to unlearn.
As a parent or coach, helping young athletes develop resilience is just as critical as helping them perfect sport-specific skills. It will improve their athletic performance and allow them to progress faster. It’s also a skill set that will serve them off the field, for the rest of their lives. The ability to express disappointment while remaining emotionally balanced is a common characteristic among leaders, regardless of the endeavor.
]]>This capacity to adapt and overcome after difficult experiences is often referred to as mental toughness. Athletes with this skill don’t avoid or deny negative emotions; they experience sadness and emotional pain like everyone else. However, they bounce back quickly thanks to their “mental elasticity”. For this reason, the American Psychological Association and other experts refer this skill as resilience.
Athletes high in resilience are emotionally grounded, enabling them to return to their normal state of balance (homeostasis) faster after a disappointing experience. In other words, they do their best, and let go of the rest.
]]>Chia seeds are high in:
Check out one of our favorite products containing chia seeds below!
That’s right, you need fat in order for your body to function properly!
Athletes should get 20-35% of their total calorie intake per day from fat.
Not ALL fats are created equal though - this means that some fats are healthier than others.
The best type of fat is UNSATURATED a.k.a. polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats because they decrease inflammation caused by training/competition
Foods that contain unsaturated fats are:
Fatty fishes: salmon, sardines
Seeds: chia, flax, hemp, pumpkin
Nuts: walnuts, almonds, pecans, peanut
Cold Pressed Oils: Avocado, Olive, Nut/Seed Oils
You can find out the type of fat in a product by checking the nutrition label.
Athletes who plan their meals and snacks for competition will have an advantage over their competitors.
It's important to focus on nutrient timing a.k.a the best time to eat protein, carbs, and fats for athletes.
The focus today will be FATS.
Reminder: 20-35% of calorie intake per day should come from fats, mostly from plant-based
fats along with a smaller portion coming from animal based fats.
When to eat fats:
Pre Game/Training Meal: Consume 20-35% of calories in this meal from healthy fats
30-60 minutes Prior to Competition/Training: Limit fat - can cause GI upset
During: @MammaChia Squeezes is what we recommend at Carbon Athletics during competition/training. These sequeezes are in a gel form so they are absorbed very quickly and are high in omega-3 fatty acids quickening muscle recovery
Recovery Meal: Consume 20-35% of calories on in this meal from healthy fats
Comprised of high level collegiate players, the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) is a 100+team national summer league pitting the nation's best young soccer talent against each other over a 10 conference game season.
The Ambassadors Football Club, based out of northeast Ohio, has been competing in the WPSL for the past 3 years. With a combined record of 20-4-2, this season proved to be a breakout year, with an Ohio Valley Conference championship.
Caleb Fortune, the Ambassadors' coach and club director, knew the potential for the team was high, but equally was the level of competition. To compete, the team's on-field stamina, especially second half performance.
Enter Carbon Athletics.
After consulting with Carbon's head of nutrition, it became apparent their was an opportunity to augment the team's game day nutrition...especially during away games after long bus trips. The solution - whole food nutrition conveniently assembled into pre-game, in-game and post-game portions.
"We reached out to Carbon Athletics to help us get over that hump. Their solution entailed a custom selected group of pre-packaged whole food and beverages arranged into pre-game, in-game and post-game combinations", Fortune stated. "Everything they selected tasted great. Plus they made it so easy for us to manage our away games. They packaged everything up for us with instructions on what to take and when. And because no refrigeration was needed, everything they provided traveled well", added Fortune.
But supplying great tasting, healthy food to his players was not the primary objective. Winning games was. The nutritional piece, however, was a pivotal piece in driving performance. And it did. The Ambassadors won the regional championship. Fortune won't go so far as to say that they reason for their success was solely based on the food. But he feels strongly that it had a noticeable impact. "You can bet that the Carbon Athletics custom Fuel PACs will be a regular part of our game day experience for season to come" adds Fortune.
Read the Case Study Here
]]>
We know that immune response is key to fighting COVID-19 and nutrition plays a huge role in ensuring your immune system is ready for the fight. Our nutritionist has worked hard over the last few weeks to curate and source Immun-boosting nutritionPACs - designed specifically with ready-to-eat whole foods and beverages full of the macro-and micronutrients needed to keep your system strong, including:
Pre-packaged and shipped directly to your door, Carbon’s Immune PACs eliminate person-to-person or person-to-product contact from in-store shopping. Allergen-friendly options are also available.
There are 2 types of Immuno-Boost PACs available to order, with multiple options for each type, including:
We’ll get back to helping young athletes soon, but for now, we’re here to help keep you and your family stay strong and healthy. Let’s do this together!
]]>The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is proud to announce that Carbon Athletics has been named the league’s preferred sports nutrition partner.
“The NPSL is excited to bring Carbon Athletics on board as a new partner,” NPSL Director of Membership Development Dina Case said. “Carbon Athletics will provide an added resource of health and well-being for players and we look forward to Carbon Athletics products helping players achieve their goal of peak performance on the field.”
Carbon Athletics brings simplicity and clarity to the hustle of the amateur and youth sports environment. Proper nutrition, the right training gear, and athlete-centric information are elements that impact the performance of every athlete. Founded by a dietitian, sports psychologist, performance trainer, and physical therapist, Carbon provides nutrition, gear, and guidance to athletes, teams, clubs, and training centers.
“Nutrition impacts every single athlete, yet when speaking with coaches, it remains one of the biggest after-thoughts and voids in preparation, negatively impacting training, development, competitive-readiness, and ultimately, on-field performance,” Carbon Athletics Vice President of Performance Nutrition Kylene Bogden said. “By teaming up with the NPSL as the league’s preferred sports nutrition partner, every club and player will have access to our expertise in performance nutrition and the opportunity to enhance their team’s game day nutrition. Our goal is to work closely with the league and its clubs to establish a framework to facilitate better nutrition for these elite soccer players while building better habits and understanding through the experience.”
See the official announcement from the NPSL here.
]]>
These absolute terms have a highly either/or; allor-nothing; black/white orientation. Often we have not put much thought into a range of possibilities when we use these terms such as “I have to go”; “We must get there;” and “This has to be done”.
These words are often used to motivate ourselves or others to action; however, they most likely are not as grounded in reality, and carry significant liabilities.
If we consider there is nothing we absolutely have to do (except die) we are free to recognize that we do have the option of choice in our thoughts and actions. Often we confuse very strong commitments as have to’s (e.g. support family, etc.).
]]>