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Article:  PAGE LOVE, M.S., R.D., L.D.

Sports nutritionist, Nutrifit and Nutrisport Consulting and USTA Sport Science Committee (Atlanta, GA)

Tennis has evolved into a power sport. Players need to sustain the quick anaerobic movements required by the sport for matches that can last several hours. The competitive tennis season is also held during the warmer months where a high heat index and hot court surfaces are common environments. These conditions make tennis players targets for dehydration and heat illness. The tennis training diet should be focused on high-energy foods and adequate hydration, timed appropriately before and after multiple competitions. The following guidelines help develop successful nutrition and hydration practices for players. Pre-Match Eating and Hydration Guidelines Tennis players need to pay special attention to their pre-match meals and beverage choices, as these foods and fluids may need to last for hours during tournament and multiple match play. Teach players to select pre-match meals and snacks that are: Familiar to them and known to settle hunger High in carbohydrate to supply energy for muscle reserves, moderate in protein and low in fat Quickly digested (not too high in fiber or fat) Examples of pre-match meals and snacks rich in carbohydrates are pasta, bread, fresh fruit, granola bars, energy bars and sports drinks. Meal Guidelines LUNCH (3-4 hours prior to competition) Turkey or grilled chicken sandwich with mustard Saltine crackers Apple 1 cup of skim milk 8 oz serving of Gatorade PRE-GAME SNACK (1-2 hours prior to competition) Fruit yogurt or banana 1 cup of water 1 Gatorade energy bar 20 oz Gatorade thirst quencher Hydration tips before players hit the court: Limit/avoid caffeinated beverages (iced teas, coffee, colas) especially right before and after match play. These may cause additional fluid loss as urine. The night before, fill and chill squeeze bottles or sports jugs and bring to each practice or match. Each player should have a minimum of 2 liters available courtside. Consume enough fluids throughout the day so urine is a light or pale yellow color before starting a match. Drink 17 to 20 oz of fluid within 2 hours pre-match. Fluid Needs During Play Thirst is not a good indicator of hydration level. Adequate fluid consumption is a players best bet for beating dehydration and heat illness. To keep tennis players performing at their best, encourage fluid consumption every 15 minutes and especially at changeovers. Players should consume 5-10 oz. of fluid (sports drinks containing 14g/8oz carbohydrate and electrolytes are ideal) every 15-20 minutes for optimal hydration and performance. Favor sports drinks to enhance rehydration. Sports drinks contain carbohydrate and electrolytes, like sodium. Consuming carbohydrate during play has been shown to help players maintain more power and accuracy with serving and groundstrokes in long-match play. Gatorade contains 14 g carbohydrate per 8 oz, which is quickly absorbed and used by working muscles. Sodium replacement is also important since a significant amount of sodium can be lost through sweat during long tennis matches. Post-Match Nutrition Players should eat foods and drink fluids that replenish muscle energy stores and electrolytes lost in competition. Share these guidelines with your athletes: Eat carbohydrates as soon as possible, preferably within 30 minutes of a match. Begin by drinking a sports drink as you walk off the court. Replace 150 percent of body fluids lost or at least 20 oz per pound of weight loss within 2 hours of a match. Eat a high-carbohydrate meal that also contains a lean protein source within 2 hours after play to maximize muscle glycogen recovery (rebuild energy stores) and to support protein synthesis in muscle. During tournament play, be sure to include carbohydrates, protein, fluid and sodium in the evening meal to quicken recovery from play. Consider lightly salting foods and consuming foods and beverages that are natural sodium sources. Example of Post Match meal 2-3 cups of pasta with marinara sauce (light in meat and fat content 2-3 slices of garlic bread (light on margarine) Salad with vinaigrette or low fat dressing 2-3 cups of Gatorade or low fat milk or energy drink OR 2-3 cups of Chinese-steamed rice with vegetables andchicken stir-fry 2-3 cups of Gatorade or low fat milk or energy drink Avoid high-protein and high-fat foods as these will contribute to dehydration As tennis players play under intense heat and prolonged match situations, it is important to keep them well conditioned, fed and hydrated. When these guidelines are followed, players will serve up a powerful match to any opponent.

Article:  You Want Me to Eat What? How Food, Mood, Energy, and Balance All Tie Into One Another

Cindy Crowninshield, Graduate student in Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) in Sargent College

......do you want to feel more energized, productive, and focused? Do you want to have energy levels that are consistent and dependable from day to day? You can achieve this by integrating simple healthy habits into your daily life and they start with the way you eat.

Here are some ideas, practical tips and suggestions to help you think about your relationship with food. My intention for you while reading this article is to think about food in a different way. While you are reading, I ask your permission to expand your mind to develop a new awareness about food. Some of these ideas may be new concepts to you. When you understand what motivates you to choose the foods you do, you may become more aware of the unknown triggers that may perpetuate your less-than-healthy behaviors.

Sugar: Getting to the Sweet of the Matter

What was your favorite sweet growing up? What is your favorite sweet now? Do you notice side effects of sugar? A source of many problems that lead to less-than-healthy behaviors is the consumption of processed sugar. Sugar is often camouflaged within the foods we eat and most people are not aware of just how much of these foods they ingest on a daily basis. The typical adult American intakes 40 teaspoons of processed sugar on a daily basis, which adds up to approximately 152 pounds per year. Forty (40) teaspoons of sugar is approximately the size of a large orange. A healthy body to function properly needs only two teaspoons (8 grams) of sugar daily within the bloodstream, which is generated naturally as glucose through normal food intake. Our bodies do not need extra simple sugars in our diet at all. Sugar can also be camouflaged in non-food items like aspirin, vitamins, mineral supplements, and some cosmetics. In Dr. Hans Diehl’s book, “To Your Health,” he discusses these sugar camouflages and how hidden inside the average box of pre-sweetened breakfast cereal is one half pound of sugar (227 grams), equivalent to 57 teaspoons of sugar. Dr. Hans Diehl also indicates research of sugar being a catalyst for many ill health symptoms, exacerbating vitamin deficiencies, and having a depressive effect on the immune system. Reducing our ability to ward off infection by 25 percent can be achieved by consuming as little as six teaspoons of sugar each day. Additionally, Nancy Appleton, PhD, reports in her book, “78 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health” how sugar can increase systolic blood pressure, cause food allergies, emphysema, hypertension, depression, weakened eyesight, hormonal imbalance, and increase delta, alpha and theta brain waves, which can alter your mind’s ability to think clearly. Ingesting a steady stream of sugar from foods like the ones listed above on a daily basis sets up patterns of behavior, prompting you to select foods to satisfy your urges and causing insulin imbalances within your body. Insulin rises within your body not only brings about a sugar crash, but keeps blood sugar levels low. This prevents the conversion of fat back into sugar or glucose, which is burned as fuel. Called hypoglycemia, you will have a perpetual low blood sugar level and feel fatigued, light-headed, irritable, nervous, and depressed. You then crave sugar to feel good again and thus, the cycle starts all over again. As more sugar is ingested, your body puts out adrenaline, glucagon, and other hormones, which then cause you to be nervous, shaky, cold, sweaty, and have palpitations and tremors. Your rollercoaster schedule is now paired with the sugar-insulin-adrenaline rollercoaster. Too much glucagon in your body breaks down your muscles to scavenge for fuels to raise blood sugar; thus, causing muscle wasting and weakness. Your appetite is stimulated by insulin and when it is not working properly; your cells are starving and screaming for more sugar as fuel. That is why we experience carbohydrate and sugar cravings. Sugar can also act as an antidepressant by initiating the release of insulin, which quickly delivers tryptophan to the brain to restore serotonin levels. Antidepressants elevate the level of serotonin in the brain. However, these quick releases in blood sugar-insulin-serotonin levels are only temporary when correcting low serotonin and hormone imbalances. Instead of sugar, protein is needed for stability. Protein has multiple amino acids, which are needed to build all the neurotransmitters like serotonin and endorphins that are required to maintain a healthy balance in the body. Sugar and carbohydrates do not provide enough adequate amino acids.

Foods Containing Large Amounts of Sugar
Food	Sugar (grams)	Sugar (tsp)
Coca Cola©, 20 fl. oz.	67.5	17
Heinz© Ketchup, 14 oz.	92	23
Odwalla© Superfood Micronutrient Juice,15.2 fl. oz.	52	13
Gatorade©, 32 fl. oz.	56	14
Snickers© Bar, 2.0 oz.	30	7.5
Apple & Eve© Apple Juice, 64 fl. oz. (bottle)	176	44
Apple & Eve©, 8 fl. oz. (one serving)	3	12
Naked© Orange Juice, 15.2 fl. oz.	50	12.5
Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch Cliff Bar ©, 2.4 oz.	20	5

Tip 1 : How much sugar do you ingest on a daily basis? What happens if you do not eat any sugar for 24 hours? Take notice of the sugar contained in the foods you eat. Some common ‘hidden’ sugars are named dextrose, sorbitol, mannitol, glucose, malt, fructose, high-fructose corn syrup, corn sweetener, sucrose, and maltose. Is your sugar consumption more than the allotted 8 grams (two teaspoons)? Take notice of how you feel immediately after eating food that contains sugar. What symptoms do you have? Sinus congestion? Acne? Do you feel energized or fatigued? Keep a food diary. Write down everything you eat. Track how much sugar is in your diet. By keeping track of your sugar intake, you can raise your awareness level of how your body negatively responds to too much sugar. The next time you crave a high sugar containing food, substitute it with a healthier example like dried fruit, dried fruit bars with no added sugar, rice crackers, or sparkling water like Perrier © or Gerolsteiner © with an added slice of lemon or lime.

Eating Foods Close to Nature

Throughout history, humans have thrived on a diet of whole, natural foods like whole grains, beans, locally grown vegetables and fruits, fish, wild and range-fed animals, and natural condiments. Many modern degenerative diseases like heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, and hypertension were almost non-existent when traditional societies were eating a more natural diet. During the past 200 years, our diet has progressively moved farther and farther away from the natural foods with the advent of modern agricultural and food processing techniques. Now we eat from colorful boxes and cans and eat vegetables and fruits that have been sprayed with deadly chemicals. Our diet includes high consumption of animal foods, junk foods (high in sugar, chemicals, fat, refined) and more mechanized foods (frozen, spun, hydrogenated, microwaved). Research indicates clear connections between our modern, devitalized diet and the rise of these diseases in westernized countries. Experiments demonstrate that returning to a more traditional, natural foods diet will help the body to begin healing itself. One experiment f or diabetes involved Dr. John McDougall. In the McDougall Plan, it reports that at the University of Kentucky, investigators found approximately 75% of patients in a study of adult-onset diabetes were freed from their need for insulin medication after only a few weeks of changing to a high-carb, low-fat, high-fiber diet.

Tip 2: What is your definition of healthy eating? How do foods like fruits and vegetables fit into your life? How about whole grains and beans? How can you learn from the diet of traditional, natural foods? Look at the Chart above and compare the sugar content of a container of apple juice and orange juice. By consuming juice like the ones you see listed, you ingest highly concentrated sugar amounts. When the opportunity presents itself to you, choose an apple or orange instead of apple or orange juice. You will ingest a less amount of sugar and all of the benefits of eating a real fruit like fiber. Additionally, if you are active in a sport activity, how are you fueling your body before, during and after exercise? The Journal of the American Dietetic Association stated in their December 2000 issue that during times of high-intensity training, adequate energy needs to be consumed to maintain body weight, maximize the training effects, and maintain health. Low-energy intakes can result in loss of muscle mass, increased risk of fatigue, and illness. Dehydration also decreases exercise performance; thus, adequate fluid before, during, and after exercise is necessary for health and optimal performance. You will need to consider fluids and foods to consume before, during, and after that will provide adequate energy and carbohydrates to maintain blood glucose levels and to replace muscle glycogen and ensure rapid recovery.

Balancing Foods You Eat: Where Are You on The Seesaw?

How balanced are your food choices? Do you eat a sweet food then suddenly crave something salty? A healthy body craves and relies on balance. Imagine a seesaw with foods on the left and right ends, as well as in the middle. These foods can be categorized by intensity. Extreme foods to the left are alcohols, chemicals, sugar, coffee, and butter/oils. Extreme foods to the right are salt, eggs, red meat, fish, and poultry. In the center of the seesaw are moderate foods such as whole grains, beans, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. If you eat something moderate, you crave something moderate. When you eat an extreme food on the right like salt (potato chips), you crave something on the other that is also extreme like alcohol (beer). Your seesaw is in a constant state of flux if you are frequently drawn to either of the extreme options. Many Americans eat this way today, forcing their body to expend more energy than necessary to process the foods they eat. This state of flux consumes much more energy than eating and balancing foods close to the center. Habitual eating and mindless selection of extreme foods is wasteful, stressful, and exhausting and causes us to live in an erratic state sapping our energy resources. Another way to think about the seesaw is room temperature and assigning temperatures to different areas of the seesaw. The left of the seesaw is 100 °F and the right of the seesaw is 32°F. The center is 68-72°F. Would you rather be in Room A with temperatures ranging consistently from 68-72°F? Or would you rather be in Room B with temperatures fluxing between 100-32°F?

Tip 3: How much extreme food do you eat? Moderate food? How extreme left and right does your seesaw move up and down? How far do you want your seesaw to continue going up and down? To balance your seesaw, try to select foods that reside in the center like whole grains, beans, vegetables, and leafy greens. When you are craving something salty or sweet, think about the last time you had a whole grain, bean, vegetable, or leafy green. Perhaps you haven’t eaten one of these in sometime and your body is stuck in the sugar-insulin-adrenaline rollercoaster. What is one new vegetable, fruit grain and/or bean that you can try eating today?

How Food Creates Healthy Effects On and In Your Health

Most people are unaware that foods they eat have a direct impact on their moods and the level of health symptoms they experience. Eating foods on the extreme left and right of the seesaw throws both your body and moods off balance. Remember the body is constantly trying to balance these forces. The foods we eat on the rollercoaster lifestyle we lead really challenge our system’s ability to balance itself. Too many extreme foods to the right (or not getting enough extreme foods to the left) of the seesaw make your body tight. When your body is tight, you become impatient, frustrated, stubborn, compulsive, angry, and even violent. Excessive intake of the extreme right foods deplete calcium supplies, overworks the kidneys and liver, and cause intestinal stagnation killing intestinal flora. Cut down on high protein intake to prevent kidney stones, liver disease, colon and reproductive cancers, and osteoporosis. Escalating incidents of road rage are not surprising when you think of all of those people on the Atkins diet. Too many extreme foods to the left of the seesaw (or not getting enough extreme foods to the right) make your body expanded. When your body is expanded, you become overly sensitive, confused, worried, forgetful, and experience mood swings, muscle tension, sleeplessness, and teeth grinding. Excessive consumption of these foods cause excess mucus, bruising, clouds thinking, overworks the spleen, pancreas, liver, and intestines, lowers resistance to infection, and congests and impedes the function of the heart, gall bladder, lungs, intestine, and sexual organs. Cut down on sugars and fats, for example, to prevent high blood pressure, food allergies, diabetes, hypoglycemia, and eating disorders. When you feel stressed, what do you reach for to eat? Alcohol, sugar, or ice cream? Continuously feeding your stress with far left extreme foods such as these will continue feeding the moods you feel. You will continue to feel more stressed, anxious, have low energy and feel fatigued. An eating routine that integrates foods from the left and right and in the center will bring more balance to the body; thus, more balance to the physical symptoms you experience.

Tip 4: Try breaking out of the food-mood cycle. Next time when you have a food craving or experience a certain mood, think about the foods you have been eating. Have they been more on the extreme left or right of the seesaw? Have you eaten any foods in the center of the seesaw? Have you been feeling spaced out, confused, forgetful, worried, or overly sensitive? Try reducing alcohols and sugar intake (foods on the left side of the seesaw) or balance your consumption of alcohols and sugar with whole grains and vegetables (foods in the center of the seesaw) and meat, fish and salt (foods on to the left of the seesaw). Have you been feeling impatient, stubborn, controlling, or angry? Try reducing salt and meat intake (foods on the right side of the seesaw) or balance your consumption of meat and salt with whole grains and vegetables (foods in the center of the seesaw) and sugar (foods on to the left of the seesaw). What food choices can you make at that moment to bring more balance in your food choices and how you are feeling?

By transitioning into a new relationship with food, you expand your mind and develop a new awareness about food. You become more aware of your environment, your performance in sport, school & life, your life stresses, your conscious food choices, your moods and how they all integrate into one another. What fuels one another? What does nourishment mean to you? Eating healthy doesn’t mean not enjoying certain foods like sweets in their entirety. Eat sweets. Eat the ice cream. Eat the chocolate. Be mindful, though, of quantity – everything in moderation to keep your seesaw in balance If you choose a grain, try Quinoa, which is pronounced “ki-nwa”. You are probably asking yourself, “You want me to eat what? What is that?” Go ahead…try it. Doing so and eating more foods from the right, center and left of the seesaw will help you to manage not only your sugar-insulin-adrenaline rollercoaster levels, but the way you manage your rollercoaster life. Living more consciously this way will bring you a consistent and dependable stream of energy, stability, and healthy behaviors to all areas of your life that you want to perform well in including your job, school, relationships, health, and physical activity.

Cindy Crowninshield is a graduate student in Didactic Program in Didactic Programs in Diebetics (DPD) in BU's Sargent College and is a Boston-based Holistic Health Counselor and Nutritionist who coaches and empowers people to organize themselves in health and wellness through a whole foods approach and making healthy lifestyle changes. Contact her at cindy@eat2bewell.com or visit http://www.eat2bewell.com.