Monthly Blog Post #3 By Specialist Nick Paicos The Art of Nutrition for Weight Maintenance and Performance Maintaining a proper diet is important for everyone. Both from the standpoint of weight maintenance and ensuring that the body has the nutrients it needs to survive and perform. Take into account the reduction in basal metabolic rate (the baseline amount of energy the body needs to survive) that will vary due to a loss of function associated with a Spinal Cord Injury and nutrition becomes even more important. As the metabolic rate is reduced, the diet needs to be altered to account for a reduction in calories burned. Translation, if you have a loss of function due to a Spinal Cord Injury, you are going to have a slower metabolic rate which means you are at increased risk for weight gain and a myriad of other problems associated with this. In response, it is critical for this population to manage their diet. A few simple tips will keep you on the right track. Step 1: Stick to complex carbohydrates. These are your whole grains, oat, barley, flax, etc. Stay with darker breads, brown rice, etc. These complex carbohydrates will help reduce a spike in your blood sugar which tells your body to store excess carbs as fats. Stay away from white rice, white bread, enriched pasta, etc. Step 2: Make sure that you are getting adequate protein in your diet. A sufficient amount of protein will enable your body to carry out the thousands of chemical reactions occurring throughout the day to keep you going and healthy. Protein will also ensure maintenance and growth of muscular tissue in the body. Step 3: Healthy fats! Limit your intake of saturated fats (animal fats-things like beef, eggs, and full fat dairy ) and “trans” fats. These types of fats tend to raise your cholesterol and increase your risk for heart disease. Ensure adequate intake of “mono” and “poly” unsaturated fats. These fats will help to reduce your cholesterol and also pitch in as an energy source for your workouts. Step 4: Make sure your diet is balanced. Too much of any one thing is never good. If you’re eating too much of one thing then you will be missing out on the nutrients that other foods have to offer. Stick to these simple tips and you will ensure that not only is your weight staying in a healthy range, but also that you have the nutrients you need to perform in your workouts and continue progressing!
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 14:26:38 +0000
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