Processed Foods & Diet

[Superfly]

Ok now that most of us are in somewhat of an off-season (so to speak). Lets take a look at some diet issues and questions I’ve had. I know Sasha’s old answer is to eat a pure healthy diet… but most people can’t walk that tight of line. I’m going for a bend but not break type of game plan. Also are there some types of supplements that can help athletes like us? Other than a good diet Sasha.
1.   What exactly is processed foods? Name the brands and specific types for use slow people.
2.   What other foods are a no-no! For the most part I stay away from soda pop (maybe like 3 sodas a year on special occasions). Chocolate and chocolate types of treats i.e. Snickers, York peppermint patties, Rocky Road bars, and solid Easter bunnies made of chocolate! I do enjoy on occasion fruity types of candy i.e. sour patch kids, gummy worms, starburst, and mento type candies. These I may eat a package twice a month unless there is a big race and maybe not in that case. I don’t eat much red meat- once a month at most. Not a lot of fatty type things like cheesecake, chocolate cake, pumpkin pie, and glazed doughnuts, ect… Burgers and fries are out 95% of the time too. Pizza is an occasional must. What I’m looking for here is for someone with a better grip on this than me to say this is good- this is very bad- and this you can enjoy once in a while. If by chance your worse off than me I’d be glad to share my day-to-day diet with you. Just ask.
3.   What are some good supplements? I’ve taken whey protein, Amino Vital,
CytoCarb (pure carbohydrates), Endurox Excel, Accelorade, Endurox, multi vitamins, glucosimin.
-The endurox, whey protein, Amino Vital, and Accelorade are all post run recovery drinks some more effective than others.
The Cytocarb is a powder that is the purest form of carbohydrates that I take before big workouts and races- also sometimes I mix with a recovery drink for the full effect.
Endurox Excel is a pill supplement that is suppose top help you control you lactic acid better and hence give you better endurance.
The glucosimin I take for my joints just out of a preventative measure, and the multi vitamin is self-explanatory.


Ok this is a good start. I’ll remember the rest of what I’ve been wanting discuss later.

[Josse]

I take only whole food suplement (E7 is the name of what I take) your body doesn't absorb much of those other pill non-whole food suplements.  I take this in the morning mixed in a very low sugar whey protien and a couple of teaspoon of cod liver oil.  Cod liver oil has  high anti-inflamitory properties, it also is great for lubing up your joints, great for the brain, digestive system, hormone production and much much more.  Other omega oils are great to take but men only absorb and use the omega-3's.  Dr. Udo's blend is another one of my favorites.  And believe it or not these oils don't make you gain wieght they actually help you burn the bad fats.  I always cook with olive oil to this has the omegas.

I try really hard to stay away from sugar and white flour, but allow myself something every once in a while.  But I am very disaplined and can only have a little bit and be done.  And if I am going to have something it had to be really good like expensive dark chocolate.  I also believe most people would not be able to eat the way Sasha does, but it is a great out line.  I eat red meat once or twice a week (I love a big juicy steak).  Fish and chicken though most of the time.  Lot of greens and veggie, I don't eat a lot of fruit because it to sweet for me, instead of an apple I will eat a red pepper.  I do eat bananas.

Health and Nutrition is sort of a passion for me, I also love helping people lose wieght.

Processed food are just that anything that has been processed.  Alot of food you find in the grocery store.  Encouraging isn't it.

[Lulu]

Wow, I am not sure where to start. Anyone who as read my blog or my comments on other people's blog knows that I am a nutrition FREAK. I devour nutrition literature. So I will start by saying two things that jump out at me.

1. You can significantly clean up your diet if you completely remove high fructose corn syrup (or anything in an ingredients list that reads corn syrup) from your diet. It is in a lot of "treats" that you mentioned. You simply decide never to eat anything with HFCS in it again. You'll have to read ingredients of everything. It is in a lot foods, even catsup. If you want to know more about the evils of corn syrup I will post more. I could write a book... oh wait, I am!

2. Pumpkin pie is not all that bad for you IF you make it yourself. It has all kinds of good nutrients in it, and with a whole wheat crust is a good dessert -- As long as you don't put whip cream all over it (especially Cool Whip - read the ingredients, HFCS). It has pumpkin (read: lots of great nutrients), sugar, evaporated or condensed milk (if condensed milk, then you don't add sugar) and spices which are great for you. It really doesn't have a lot of bad stuff in it.

Josse, if I understand your post correctly, I respectfully disagree when you say men use only omega-3s. For example, Omega-6s are used in cell membranes extensively in every body regardless of gender. Also, they are vital for production of prostoglandins in the body which are important in control of inflammation and regulation of immune function. Typically, the American diet has plenty Omega-6s, but not enough Omega-3s. Maybe you read/heard that American men need more Omega-3 fatty acids.

[Superfly]

I knew pumpkin pie was ok... I just hate it so I thought I'd take a stab at it while I could. Thanks for both of your imput. I know the treats that I eat are bad but it's kind of my bend but not break deal. I figure on pack of sour patch kids every couple of weeks isn't going to kill me.
What about things like:
Top Roman
Toast with butter
PB and honey sandwiches
Cold cereal (raisin bran, granola)
yogert
chocolate soy milk (silk)
OJ
Salted almonds

These are some of my bread and butter type foods. I pretty much eat them every day. Is there one that is very bad?

[Paul Petersen]

chocolate soy milk (silk)

The USATF dinner I went to on Friday had a nutritionist who was an elite runner as the guest speaker. Someone asked about chocolate milk and she said it was one of the best post-race recovery drinks around, as it has lots of carbs and protein.

[Josse]

Another thing you need to stay away from is partially-hydrogenated or hydronenated oils, these are horrible for you.  They are in many thing you would not think like cearals, soft taco shells and much more you really have to read the labels (which can be time cosuming).  The thing with the standard American low-fat diet is that is full of sugar, high frutose corn syurp, and the hydrgenated oils and way to much fast food.  Stay away from these and your health and running will be much better. 

Lulu- your right with men needing all the oils, my understaning though is they need and use the Omega-3 much more.
I think everyone should take all three of them (Omegas 3-6-9).  I don't mind some disagreement.  It is what makes you study things further.

[Jon Allen]

Clyde- my opinion is toast, sandwiches (whole wheat bread), yogurt, milk, oj, and almonds are all great!  I hear all the time how good they are (yogurt=immune sys, almonds=good fats).

I eat cold cereal every day, but not the high sugar (i.e. kid) type.  Top Ramon- probably doesn't hurt once in a while.

[Josse]

Yogurt you have to watch the sugar content, unless you can eat plain.  The only brand I have found that doesn't use sugar as there sweeter is Brown Cow-they use honey and evaporated cane juice.  The only place I have seen this brand is Good Earth and Maceys.

[Jon Allen]

I've never worried about sugar content in yogurt.  My only concern is that I get the 8 oz kind rather than paying the same price for the 6 oz Yoplait.

[Dave Holt]

chocolate milk and she said it was one of the best post-race recovery drinks around

Clyde, I've been telling you this for a year!

[Superfly]

Dave I hear you on the Chocolate milk thing. But soy (silk) chocolate milk can only be even better. Oh it goes down so smooth.
I never really get too worried about sugar in yogert either. In fact I don't really care too much about sugar all together. I eat fruit with a lot in it, drink fruit juice that is mostly sugar, drink gatorade like it's free. I guess my take is that I just burn it off. That brings me to my next question?

What can I eat? Like meals? I'm a little burned out on my day-to-day food. What are some of your staples? I like quick and easy food. I eat top roman every day just because it's fast and filled with carbs. Most of the time it's actually not top roman. It's noodle bowls I buy at Costco. A little better quality and taste, but same basic idea.
Give me some fast, healthy food ideas... A lot of carbs is a good plus. I need energy. 16-20 miles a day makes me hungry, and I'm an already hungry boy. I'm not looking to make a statement with what I eat. Bottom line is I love food and eating it. The more unhealthy the better. But when I'm trying to run with these mad animals on the blog I need something a little better in the tank.
So give me a list...

meals
snacks
drinks
snacks
desserts
snacks
 and whatever else you may have!

[Jon Allen]

Josse- why are you so anti-HFCS?

[Michelle Lowry]

See my blog today for my compromise diet outline which is definitely not exemplary, but I have lost weight and I think it is a good life long strategy.

For what it is worth, when I ran for BYU I stayed away from soda, until Coach Shane said that we need some recovery carbs right after a workout, and if that means we need to buy a Sprite and chug it, then do it.  He is a world class coach and did not go extreme with diet suggestions.  While I think it is ideal to go on diets without the HFCS and other processed junk, I am taking baby steps and grabbing the yogurt instead of the cookie

[Josse]

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is any of a group of corn syrups that have undergone enzymatic processing in order to increase their fructose content and are then mixed with pure corn syrup (100% glucose) to reach their final form. The typical types of HFCS are: HFCS 90 (most commonly used in baked goods) which is approximately 90% fructose and 10% glucose; HFCS 55 (most commonly used in soft drinks) which is approximately 55% fructose and 45% glucose; and HFCS 42 (most commonly used in sports drinks) which is approximately 42% fructose and 58% glucose.

As you can see it has undergone processing just like the hydroganated oils that has also been processed it is hard for the body to procees and is extreamly bad for you.  I just feel better if I stay away form these things.  Not to say they sneak there way in once in a while.

[Sasha Pachev]

Rather than discussing of which foods are good and which are bad for running (the answer to which I believe would vary greatly from person to person), I would like to focus on a different aspect of this. If you know a certain food is bad, or you suspect it could be bad for you, do you have the strength and discipline to go without it for as long as you need to see the results (positive, negative, or neutral)? In other words, do you control your food, or is it the other way around?

I think the strength of a great runner is not so much in the fact that he knows and is using the magic recipe to success. It is more that he will not let trivial matters such as food addiction prevent him from discovering and experiencing the magic.