Guidelines for Sport Nutrition < Current Trends in Performance Nutrition

Kevin and Dr. Soldano discussing carbohydrate intake.

Kevin, I see a lot of female endurance athletes who cut calories. They're running lots of miles, but they sure aren't eating much. I think their carbohydrate consumption is low. I did the math quickly, and if you have a 50-kilogram (110-pound) female distance runner, she'd need at least 250 grams of carbohydrate daily. That's 1,000 carbohydrate calories at a minimum. How do you convince them to take in that much?

I spend a lot of time talking with female distance runners. I try to focus on functionality and emphasize that obtaining enough carbohydrate each day is important because training depletes muscle glycogen stores. I always say, "You need to provide the fuel so that your muscles can do the work."

What do you do if they get so focused on calories that they end up restricting calories and carbohydrate?

Surveys show that low carbohydrate intake is usually associated with calorie restriction. That's been my experience, too. So in our clinic we try to teach athletes that they have to look at the whole package. They need to consume enough calories, and their caloric intake needs to be made up of enough carbohydrate, protein, and fat. I focus on getting them to realize that the energy they get from food fuels their performance.

From Current Trends in Performance Nutrition by Marie Dunford, PhD, RD, Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
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