Archive for the ‘nutrition’ Category

Is Fish Oil Essential?

April 15th, 2012

Why You Need Fish Oil As Part Of Your Tennis Nutrition

tennis nutrition

There are many benefits to fish oil in your tennis training program. The benefits include:

Help protect your heart
Improve your memory
Strengthen your immune system
Minimize the damage caused by free radicals
Reduce joint pain and PMS symptoms
Aid the fat loss process

Some of the clinical evidence of the benefits of fish oil include…

Adv Nutr. 2012 Jan;3(1):1-7. Epub 2012 Jan 5.

Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA: health benefits throughout life.

Swanson D, Block R, Mousa SA.

Source

Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Rensselaer, NY, USA.

Abstract

Omega-3 [(n-3)] fatty acids have been linked to healthy aging throughout life. Recently, fish-derived omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA have been associated with fetal development, cardiovascular function, and Alzheimer’s disease. However, because our bodies do not efficiently produce some omega-3 fatty acids from marine sources, it is necessary to obtain adequate amounts through fish and fish-oil products. Studies have shown that EPA and DHA are important for proper fetal development, including neuronal, retinal, and immune function. EPA and DHA may affect many aspects of cardiovascular function including inflammation, peripheral artery disease, major coronary events, and anticoagulation. EPA and DHA have been linked to promising results in prevention, weight management, and cognitive function in those with very mild Alzheimer’s disease.

PMID:

22332096

[PubMed - in process]
PMCID:

PMC3262608 [Available on 2013/1/1]

Additional Reading:

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The 2nd Most Important Meal of The Day

December 5th, 2011

Post Tennis Workout Nutrition – What To Eat After A Workout

The most important meal of the day is breakfast…

But what is the 2nd most important meal? The 2nd most important meal of the day is your post tennis workout meal.

In addition to drinking water, you should eat within 30 minutes of your workout.

Why? You have a window of opportunity to restore your glycogen levels and rebuild your body.

Post Tennis Workout Nutrition – What Should I Eat?

The perfect food after your workout is a whey protein shake. It contains protein for structural rebuilding and carbs for glycogen restoration. The best part about it is that is really easy. After your tennis workout, you can mix up a shake in your car and drink it on the way home. Yes, it’s that easy!

Please note: you do not want to eat fat after a workout, as it will slow down your digestion, which is the opposite of what you want to happen after a workout.

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Celiac Disease

November 18th, 2011

Tennis Nutrition – What is Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease is being documented more an more these days. Novak dominated this summer after changing to a gluten-free diet after his nutritionist discovered he had Celiac disease.

The disease is a medical condition where there is damage to the villa, the liming of the small intestine, resulting in a lack of absorption of critical nutrients. Though the exact cause is unknown, when people with Celiac disease eat gluten, a protein found in wheat and other grins, their immune system reacts by damaging the intestinal lining.

Symptoms of Celiac disease include abdominal pain, bloating, gas, constipation, lactose intolerance, and weight loss. As part of your tennis nutrition plan, you should see a doctor or nutritionist if you experience any of these issues.

Tennis Nutrition – Treatment

There is no known cure for Celiac disease, though lifestyle changes can heal the intestinal lining. Specifically, people with gluten intolerance must follow a gluten-free diet.

Generally, sufferers of Celiac disease who follow a gluten-free diet feel better within 2-3 months, and they heal their intenstinal lining within 2-3 years.

If you think you are gluten intolerant, see a nutritionist who specializes in Celiac disease. They can help you create a plan to maximize your health and tennis nutrition.

Tags: celiac disease, condition, diet, Disease, intestinal, Novak
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Whey Protein Isolate

October 24th, 2011

Tennis Fitness Nutrition: What Is Whey Protein Isolate?

Whey protein is a nutritional product derived from milk protein, and it is a by-product of making cheese.

Whey protein isolate is produced by filtering the whey protein, and contains the high percentage of pure protein. In addition, it is nearly 100% lactose free, carbohydrate free, fat free, and cholesterol free.

Tennis Fitness Nutrition: Why Should I Take Whey Protein Isolate?

Whey protein isolate is great for tennis players because:

It is highly highly bioavailable
It is quickly absorbed into the body
And it has a high concentration of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs).

"Biological value of whey vs other protein sources.

Biological value, or BV, is the measure of the efficiency of a protein and how it can be absorbed and used by the body for growth — higher the number, the higher the efficiency. It’s a common term in bodybuilding and one that is used to classify whey protein. With BV, egg protein sets the standard with 100. Beef can be found at around 75, for example. With whey protein, however, BV can be as high as 170.

Whey protein isolate has the highest bioavailability of the whey sources, generally about 30-60% more than concentrate."

http://www.muscleandstrength.com/supplements/ingredients/whey-protein.html

Tennis Fitness Nutrition: How Do You Incorporate Whey Protein Isolate

For breakfast, I add 1 scoop of chocolate whey protein isolate to a mixture of 10 ounces of skim milk and 10 ounces of water. It is roughly 300 calories, provides over 30 grams of protein, and I stay full until lunch.

You should give this tennis fitness nutrition tip a try!

Tags: Body, branched chain amino acids, cheese, egg protein, fitness, nutrition, percentage, protein sources, tennis fitness, what is whey protein
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Green Tea

October 19th, 2011

Tennis Nutrition Tip – Swap Out Coffee For Green Tea

Are you a coffee drinker? Yeah, me too…

One simple change you can make to your tennis nutrition plan is to drink green tea instead of coffee.

Why Should I Drink Green Tea As Part Of My Tennis Nutrition?

Green tea has been used by the Japanese for centuries. There is some research linking green tea to good health. Here's what's in green tea…

Polyphenols – This substance found in green tea is a strong antioxidant, thus it reduces free radical damage.
ECGC – This substance has been widely touted for its anti-cancer properties
Caffeine – Green tea has roughly 1/2 the caffeine of coffee. Caffeine in moderation is a good source of energy and suppresses the appetite.

Please understand, I'm not suggesting that you stop drinking coffee all together. I recommend that you replace one cup of coffee with a green tea daily. It's not a major change, but it will give you some tennis nutrition benefits.

Other Tennis Nutrition Thoughs

If you are regularly drinking a Starucks Carmel Macchiato, and you are wondering why you are gaining weight. It is no mystery! These drinks have the caloric content of a small meal or large snack.

An easy fix for this is to replace it with a black coffee or latte with nonfat milk. These have 1/3 of the calories and none of the fat. And then make your second cup a green tea!

Tags: caffeine, carmel macchiato, coffee, coffee drinker, cup, Drink, drinker, free radical damage, nutrition benefits, nutrition tip
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