Dr. Susan Michell - Nutrition Expert Dr. Susan Mitchell Nutrition Expert
home about services media clients Contact

March 16, 2011

Nutrition Strategies to Maximize Strength Training

Is strength training part of your regular workout routine? Or, have you decided it’s time to include it?  Strength training or weight training can improve quality of life and overall health by reducing both blood glucose levels and body fat. It improves strength as muscle mass increases and is maintained.

Strategy # 1:  Eat 1-2 hours before your workout and 30 minutes after.

According to an article in Today’s Dietitian, people say they don’t want to eat before or after a workout or they will blow the benefits. However, think about it this way.

When you have a meal or snack before a strength training session, your energy level increases and ultimately can result in additional calories burned…in other words, you don’t poop out as quickly.

Most sports nutritionist suggest a meal or snack two hours before a workout but at least one hour if the snack is smaller in size. According to a second article in Today’s Dietitian, a pre-strength training meal or snack should be high in carbohydrates, moderate in protein, and low in fat and fiber in order for the stomach to empty quickly such as a bagel and fresh fruit.

Don’t forget that nutrition post workout is part of the smart strategy. Eat a meal or snack consisting of carbs and protein within 30 minutes to speed glycogen recovery and to help repair muscle microtears that may occur during lifting.

Storage rates for glycogen are fastest the first hour after exercise. Remember that carbohydrate, one of the three energy nutrients along with protein and fat that supply calories, fuels the brain and body and most easily converts to energy or glucose. Stored glucose is called glycogen.

Strategy # 2: Increase protein for muscle hypertrophy and strength gains.

Remember that your intake varies depending on your routine but in terms of protein needs for the day, sports nutritionists Janice Dada and Dr. Jenna Bell suggest 1.2 to 1.7 grams protein/kilogram body weight for strength training.

The range for protein in the daily diet has been 5-35% of total daily calories.  Now the suggestion is to reach the higher end of that range….20-35% of total calories from protein, especially when you weight train.

Muscle hypertrophy and strength gains also result from repeated sets of higher weights and less repetitions plus the right nutrition. Remember that if you are just starting out and are a strength-training novice, it’s important to start slowly and build muscle endurance with lighter weights or resistance before you progress to heavier weights and strength gains.

More Resources:

Joint Information

Glucosamine/chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial (Gait Trial)

glucosamine versus placebo (Journal of the American Medical Association)

Books

Power Eating by Susan M. Kleiner, PhD, RD

Energy to Burn by Jenna Bell, PhD, RD, CSSD

Want more? Listen to this week’s podcast below.

Listen to this week’s podcast


May 26, 2010

Gluten Free Update, Part 1

The gluten-free diet has become a popular diet de jour. Oprah pushed its popularity a couple of years ago when she went on a cleanse that was free of several items, gluten included.

The vast majority of you who are following a gluten-free diet are doing so because you’ve been diagnosed with celiac disease and there’s a war going on between your gastrointestinal tract and your immune system. A gluten-free diet wins the war.

The bottom-line basics of the gluten-free diet:

  1. The grain group is most affected.
  2. Dairy, fruits, vegetables and protein foods have minimal changes (and typically don’t contain gluten) especially in their most natural form.
  3. Put your emphasis on whole foods versus processed foods or those modified in some way. Processed and modified foods are most likely to contain gluten.
  4. Remember there are many naturally gluten-free foods such as fruit and vegetables and many grains (see list below). Reach for whole grains such as brown rice over white rice.

This is really important if you think you might have celiac disease. A gluten-free diet can interfere with obtaining an accurate diagnosis so never start on the diet until you’ve had the blood test and biopsy.

For this week’s more in-depth podcast on gluten-free click here.

Next week I’ll post an updated list of gluten-free and celiac resources at the Nutrition & Health Center. Just go to WDBO.com and click on the Nutrition & Health Center. You’ll see the link to the resources at the top of the page.

With Celiac disease, the tiniest bread crumb containing gluten can set some people off, make them sick and harm their intestines. Gluten is so ubiquitous that at times it can make managing celiac disease difficult.

The dangerous grains include:

  1. barley
  2. rye
  3. wheat
  4. spelt
  5. kamut

Some of the safe grains include:

  1. rice
  2. corn
  3. potato
  4. amaranth
  5. quinoa
  6. buckwheat
  7. millet
  8. chickpea flour
  9. oats

Remember wheat free is NOT gluten free. Wheat free can contain barley, bulgur or other grains with gluten.

In the past, oats were included on the dangerous list of grains because of cross-contamination. Oats were usually contaminated with wheat, barley or rye during harvesting and processing. More recent studies suggest that for most people eating oats in moderate amounts, meaning about ½ cup of dried oats is safe.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that attacks your small intestine and persists for a lifetime. Autoimmune basically means that your body turns on itself. Specifically your intestine is damaged by the protein you eat found in wheat, rye and barley…collectively this protein is referred to as gluten.

Any food item which contains gluten is like poison to your small intestine particularly to the little fingerlike projections called villi and makes it difficult to absorb the nutrients from food such as vitamins and minerals.

If you have questions that need answers now and want a personalized gluten-free diet, consider making an appointment with the nutrition expert, a registered dietitian. You can search for an RD in your area at the American Dietetic Association homepage.

Listen to this week’s podcast


February 24, 2010

Three Tips to Build a Healthy Salad

salad greens

Do you enjoy a good green salad? I do. Is your salad mainly leafy greens or do you go overboard and create a nutritional nightmare? Not hard to do at a lot of salad bars, is it? Everything seems to call your name and tempt you. How do you build a healthy salad with a nutritional profile that’s powerful for your body?

Try these three easy tips:

1.    Start with a base of leafy greens. Red leaf, green leaf, arugula, spinach, or a mixture…whatever you like. Try different greens. I rotate them depending on what’s available and what looks good that week. I’m often asked this question and you may wonder as well “Do I need to rinse the prewashed bagged salads?” Most bags of greens say triple-washed so you would think there’s no need to rinse again.

Don’t miss this….tests on salad greens performed by the Consumers Union and reported in the March 2010 issue of Consumer Report found bacteria that are common indicators of poor sanitation and fecal contamination in their samples. They tested baby greens, organic greens, bagged greens and clamshells. Nothing made a difference. Their conclusions were to buy packages as far from the use-by-date as possible, rinse the greens even if the bag says prewashed or triple-washed and prevent cross contamination in your kitchen by keeping greens away from raw meats. My suggestion is to make sure to clean your salad spinner or colander after each use just in case bacteria adhere to the surfaces.

2.    Kick up your veggie intake for the day. Add chopped carrots, green peppers, sliced tomatoes or cucumbers, yellow or zucchini squash, broccoli…basically take a look and see what vegetables you have on hand and toss them in. They add flavor, crunch and a boot load of nutrition. I also like fruit in my salad so I’ll add apple slices, strawberries, dried blueberries and cherries, even watermelon. What do you add to your salad that makes it healthy and delicious?

3.    Add lean protein. My girlfriends always say they’re only going to have a salad for lunch. They order one with greens and a few veggies. In an hour or so, they’re hungry again. Sound familiar? Protein has many important roles in your body from helping you to feel full and satisfied longer to maintaining your muscle mass…no matter what your age. Add sliced chicken, turkey, fish or lean beef, low fat cheese or a hard-boiled egg. If you’re vegetarian or eating some meatless meals, try cubes of tofu or chickpeas or a chopped veggie burger.

Listen to this week’s podcast


November 4, 2009

Holiday Parties: Tricks to Indulge Guilt-Free

nice displayIt’s almost that time….the ‘holiday eat fest’ is about to begin. You know what I mean…food, parties, buffets, and more food from Thanksgiving thru the ringing in of the New Year. And with the Super Bowl, you could extend the eat fest right on thru January. My goal every year is to enjoy the celebrations but come out on the other end without additional pounds on my thighs or around my middle. Are you with me? So how do you navigate the social scene and still enjoy yourself without all the guilt? Let’s talk tricks that work…food tricks that turn the tables so you call the shots.

  1. Pre-party prep: eat a lean protein, high fiber snack such as ½ a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with mustard or a small handful of nuts and piece of fruit before you go. Why? The snack will curb cravings and hunger so you are more in control of what and how much you eat.
  2. Check out the eye candy: I call all the tempting food ‘eye candy’ since you eat with your eyes first. Instead of eating your way through all the offerings, take a look at the food spread and decide which items you really want to try.
  3. Alternate drinks: if you consume alcohol, alternate with sparkling water. Not only do you cut calories significantly but the more alcohol you drink, typically the more you eat of everything.

The November 29th issue of Family Circle magazine has specific suggestions to indulge guilt-free. My regular guest, Margit Ragland, senior editor at Family Circle joins me on my podcast this week.

Margit shared a number of easy tricks including:

Instead of: Three pigs in blanket
Reach for: Four steamed shrimp with cocktail sauce
Calories Saved: 240

Instead of: Martini
Try: Champagne or White Wine Spritzer (1/2 wine, half seltzer)
A large martini can pack as much as three shots of alcohol and as many as 300 calories.
Calories Saved: 200

Instead of: One frosted and decorated sugar cookie
Try: One lightly decorated gingerbread man cookie, calories saved: 90

Speaking of gingerbread men have you started your holiday baking? Check out the recipe from Family Circle for gingerbread men posted at the WDBO.com Nutrition & Health Center. Most every year I make gingerbread men and am anxious to give this recipe a try.


July 29, 2009

The Anti-Jet Lag Diet

july-29How often do you jump on a plane and cross multiple time zones?  For millions of you, the loss or gain of daytime or nighttime hours can be exhausting to your mind and your body. It’s called jet lag. You’ve heard the term and probably experienced it. What I don’t like about jet lag is that it can really have a negative effect on your travel experience. No one wants to spend the first few days of his or her vacation recuperating from the plane trip. And you business travelers who cross multiple time zones frequently would like to arrive with a fresh, productive outlook instead of feeling so drained. Not to mention the insomnia, irritability and fatigue that may follow. Well, I have great news that you don’t want to miss… the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory has figured out a way to help leave the jet lag behind when you travel across three or more time zones. It’s called the Anti-Jet Lag Diet.

According to research reported in Military Medicine soldiers being deployed across nine zones who followed the Anti-Jet Lag Diet were 7 to 16 times less likely to experience jet lag. According to Argonne spokesman, Dave Baurac, the Anti-Jet Lag diet has helped the CIA, President Ronald Reagan, our soldiers and many others. He says that The Anti-Jet-Lag Diet focuses on the body’s natural clock or circadian rhythm and some of the same time cues that cause jet lag. These time cues include meal times, sunset and sunrise, and daily cycles of rest and activity.

Prior to travel, the Anti-Jet-Lag Diet alternates days of moderate feasting and fasting to help speed your body’s adjustment to a new time schedule. These days of feasting and fasting also vary the intake of protein and carbohydrate to affect the production of neurotransmitters or brain chemicals which help the body feel more alert or prepare for sleep.

Listen to this week’s podcast


May 13, 2009

Munch on This: Four Ways to Eat More and Weigh Less

eat-moreHow does eating more and weighing less sound to you? I like the idea because I like to eat. Here’s how it works. The latest nutrition science on weight loss suggests two points to remember:

  1. Choose foods that are low in calorie or what’s also referred to as low energy dense foods. They are low in calorie but high in either fiber or water or both. You feel full longer on less calories.
  2. Include lean protein at every meal and snack if possible. Protein is also known for helping you to feel full for a longer period of time or what is referred to as satiety.

I chatted with Family Circle Senior Health Editor Margit Ragland about this concept and here are four easy food swaps to try. Notice that all four swaps include high fiber foods and lean protein except the popcorn snack which you could sprinkle with parmesan cheese for a protein boost.

Breakfast:

Instead of: 2 slices of white toast with 1 tbsp of butter

Fill up with: 1 cup of non-fat or low-fat yogurt with ½ cup of blueberries and ½ cup pineapple

Lunch:

Instead of: A turkey sandwich on a roll with lettuce, tomato and mustard

Fill up with: A turkey burger or a turkey sandwich on a whole wheat bun with lettuce, tomato and 1 tsp ketchup or mustard

Dinner:

Instead of: Spaghetti with marinara sauce

Fill up with: Filet of sole in a lemon pepper seasoning with asparagus and a baked sweet potato OR add lean meatballs to the spaghetti and try the whole grain spaghetti

Snack:

Instead of: 4 ounces of honey wheat pretzels

Fill up with: 5 cups of low-fat microwave popcorn (sprinkle with parmesan cheese to add protein if desired)

Looking for a summer pizza to do on the grill? Check out the Grilled Mango BBQ Pizza just posted on our recipe page. It’s quick and delicious.

Listen to this week’s podcast


Featuring Advanced Search Functions plugin by YD
Dr. Susan Mitchell's Blog