Table of Contents

Fat Free Facts

• Fat free does not mean calorie free. Too many calories from sugars and starches may also add extra weight.
  
• Most fat free and reduced fat foods contain more sodium than their regular versions.
  
• We need some fat to absorb the fat soluble vitamins, A, D, E, and K.

Tips for Healthy Eating

• Forget the word "diet ." The word "diet " has all sorts of connotations; people are always "going on a diet" or "falling off a diet". Make an effort to just eat smarter by making a few small, but important, lifelong eating changes.
  
• Variety is the key. One of the greatest joys of life is eating and trying new foods and new recipes. Do not limit yourself to the same few selections day after day, you may become "burned out." Try at least one new food or recipe a week to broaden your horizons.
  
• All things in moderation. There is no such thing as a "bad food ." It is okay to reward yourself periodically with a special treat such as a rich dessert. If you tell yourself you can never again have some of your favorite foods, your goal of eating smarter will be short-lived. Just learn to plan for these treats by moderating your intake in other areas that day.
  
• Base food selections on the food guide pyramid. This eating guide helps you make wise and varied food choices. We need foods from all the food groups to make up a balanced, healthy diet. The food guide pyramid suggests the following for each day: between 6-11 servings of bread, cereal, rice and pasta; 3-5 servings of vegetables; 2-4 servings of fruits; 2-3 servings of milk, yogurt and cheese; 2-3 servings of meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts; limited use of fats, oil, and sweets.
  
• Do not go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. If you are going to do anything on an empty stomach, make it menu planning-- you will be much more creative in your planning if those digestive juices are flowing. However, going shopping while you are hungry may lead to a cart full of poorer food choices and a higher grocery bill. Plan your menus ahead of time and shop carefully for healthy selections and good prices. Each week, choose one food group or aisle and read the nutrition labels carefully on those products. The new nutrition labeling has a lot of valuable, easy-to-understand nutrition information to help you make wise choices.
  
• Fresh is best. Although we live in a "grab and go" world, there is nothing more nutritious than high quality, fresh foods prepared with your own hands. It really doesn't take that much longer to prepare fresh vegetables than it does to open a can or a freezer bag. Processed foods sometimes has more sodium, fat or other ingredients or additives. Consider shopping the outside aisles of the grocery store where the fresh foods are found and limiting your food purchases on the inner aisles.

When nutrition information is not available, use several "fat-skimming" strategies:

• Order small portions or share a meal with a friend.
• Take half of anything you order home and use it later for another meal.
• Ask for salad dressings,. sour cream, butter and margarine on the side. Rather than pouring your dressing over a salad, dip the tines of the fork into the dressing and then spear a bite of salad.

LOSE WEIGHT?

• Dropping fat calories to 20 to 30 percent of total calories helps shed excess pounds and lowers blood cholesterol levels.
  
• To lose weight, you have to burn off more calories than you eat. Some people do this by adding exercise. In the process, they lose fat but build muscle and weigh the same.
  
• Other people exercise but end up eating more. Even though they eat fat free foods , they get plenty of calories that negate the deficit. Because fat creates a feeling of fullness, people who eliminate fat often tend to feel hungry and continue to eat. The calories add up!
  
• You might have better success if you include a small amount of fat with each meal.

GAIN WEIGHT?

To gain weight, you have to consistently eat more calories than when you are maintaining weight. The easiest way to do this is to drink extra fluids like low-fat milk or juices. Cranberry juice is particularly high in calories.

Hydration: Sports drinks or Water?

The human body consists of approximately 65 percent water. Adequate fluid intake is an essential component of athletic performance.

FLUID FACTS

• Body weight is 60 to 70 percent water
• Muscle tissue is 70 to 75 percent water
• Fat is 10 to 15 percent water
• Blood is about 90 percent water (when fully hydrated)

FLUID PERFORMS A NUMBER OF CRITICAL FUNCTIONS:

• Fluid in blood transports glucose to working muscles and carries away the lactic acid.
• Fluid in urine eliminates metabolic waste products from the body.
• Fluid in sweat dissipates heat through the skin.

If too little fluid is consumed or too much fluid is lost through perspiration, athletic performance can suffer. In extreme cases, medical complications can occur.

OTHER FLUID FUNCTIONS:

• Water (in saliva and the stomach) helps digest food
• Body fluids help to lubricate the joints and cushion organs
• Blood transports nutrients and oxygen to muscles
• Blood carries carbon dioxide, lactic acid and other waste products away
• Water helps excrete waste products from your body.
• Water transports heat from the muscles to the skin
• Sweat cools the body
• Water helps to moisten and warm cold air before it hits the lungs
• Body fluids help to maintain skin temperature in cold weather

HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?

• Sedentary people should drink about 2 liters of water each day, active people should consume even more. To increase awareness of sweat loss during exercise, weigh yourself before and after a hard workout. Each pound lost represents one pound (.5 liter) of sweat.
  
• In preparation for difficult endurance exercise, drink 1 to 1.5 liters of fluid 2 to 3 hours before the event and .25 to .5 liters of water 10 minutes before start time.
  
• During strenuous exercise, drink as much fluid as possible. Ideally, .25 to .5 liters every 20 minutes.
  
• Do not trust your sense of thirst to reflect your need for fluid. Drink before you feel thirsty.
  
• Water is always an excellent choice for the recreational athlete. It is more quickly absorbed than juices or sports drinks.
  
• For those who exercise hard for 90 minutes or more, a beverage supplying 60 to 100 calories per .25 liter helps to supply the needed energy calories required for continuous performance. Diluted juices and sports drinks are good choices.
  
• Drinks with caffeine and alcohol act as diuretics. These are not good choices for fluid replacement.
  
• Electrolyte replacement is usually not an issue among those who consume a balanced diet.

THIRSTY?

• You've waited too long.
  • Thirst is your body's signal that it's already dehydrated. It is not
    proportionate to what your body needs. In fact, the body may
    suppress thirst during exercise.

A Liter low:

Your body loses about 2.5 to 3 liters of water each day through normal perspiration and excretion. Factor in warm weather, humidity and exercise and you may lose 1 to 2 liters of water each hour. .5 Liter of fluid loss equals one pound on the scale.

DEHYDRATION

Dehydration occurs at a fluid loss of just 1 percent of body weight. This is enough to increase body temperature and impair performance as well as body functions. As dehydration continues, cramps (especially leg) develop, heart rate is elevated and blood volume and cardiac output decrease. Severe consequences include heat exhaustion, hallucinations, circulatory collapse and death at a fluid loss of 9 to 12 percent of body weight.

Early signs of Dehydration	Severe signs of Dehydration
fatigue	difficulty swallowing
loss of appetite	stumbling and clumsiness
flushed skin	numb or shriveled skin
heat intolerance	delirium
lightheadedness	sunken eyes and dim vision
dark urine with a strong odor	painful urination
	muscle spasms

HOW MUCH WATER?

• This depends on your body size, how much you sweat, how active you are and what you eat and drink.
• Generally the 2 to 2.5 liter guideline is a good start
  • fruits and vegetables are high in water
  • caffeinated (coffee, tea, soft drinks) and alcoholic beverages cause water loss.
• Try weighing yourself before and after exercise to see how much weight you lose. Then drink (before/during exercise) .5 Liters of water per pound lost. Monitor the volume and color of your urine to ensure you're getting enough fluid.

ISOTONIC

The term "isotonic" is often used broadly to include many "sports drinks." However, to be truly isotonic, a product must replace lost body fluids without causing either swelling or shrinkage of the cells.

ARE SPORTS DRINKS BETTER?

• Sports drinks do more to enhance calorie intake than anything. The duration and intensity of an aerobics class (even back to back sessions) does not create a need to replace electrolytes or carbs during exercise.
  
• Replacing sweat losses of sodium, potassium and other electrolytes is probably a minor concern, unless you are competing in something like a triathlon.
  
• Drinking enough fluids is an important part of a sports diet because adequate hydration can help your sports performance and prevent the medical dangers associated with heat stress. The easiest way to tell if you have had enough to drink is to monitor your urine. Clear-colored urine in significant amounts indicates adequate hydration -- as do frequent trips to the bathroom!
  
• Adequate fluid replacement is important for both recreational exercisers and competitive athletes because fluid in your blood transports oxygen to working muscles and carries away lactic acid. But the recreational exerciser whose workout is of low intensity and lasts less than an hour will sweat minimally and obviously will not have to monitor fluid replacement as closely as the highly competitive athlete who sweats hard for 1 to 3 hours at a time.

THE RECREATIONAL EXERCISER

• If you participate in a low-intensity exercise program, such as walking 1 or 2 miles, enjoying a gentle bike ride for 30 minutes, or playing recreational volleyball for 30 to 45 minutes, you are unlikely to become dehydrated because of excessive sweating. You should simply try to maintain an adequate fluid intake throughout the day.

WHEN TO WATER DOWN

• Throughout the day, be sure to routinely consume plenty of fluids. If necessary, carry a water bottle with you.
  
• Pre-exercise, tank up on .25 to .5 liters of water 15 minutes before working out. This fluid will be ready and waiting to be put to use. By consuming only water or sugar free fluids 0 to 15 minutes pre-exercise, you will enhance fat metabolism and thereby spare muscle glycogen from depletion.
  
• During exercise, drink about .25 liters of water every 20 minutes.

FIVE BASIC RULES FOR FLUID REPLACEMENT

1. Cool fluids are best (40 to 50 degrees F)

2. Plain water adequately replaces fluid for most athletes.

3. Don't depend on thirst. By the time you feel thirsty, your body has already started to dehydrate.

4. Weigh before and after an athletic event. Replace .5 liters of fluid for every 1 pound lost.

5. Sip water during competition or training.

Should I take vitamin pills?

• If you are active and have a good appetite, you can get a lot of vitamins in your diet. By choosing wholesome foods you can double or triple your vitamin intake. For example, if you drink 12 ounces of orange juice, you'll get 200% of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of Vitamin C.
  
• If you do not eat meat , Iron or Zinc supplements can be helpful.
  
• You need to eat well even if you take a supplement. Fruits and vegetables are the best sources of important nutrients. The ones with the most vitamins are oranges, cantaloupe, strawberries, kiwi, bananas, green and red peppers, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, carrots and sweet potatoes.

MINERAL AND TRACE ELEMENT ABSORPTION

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