EAT LIKE AN ATHLETE
Pro triathlete Jenny Tobin knows how to compete. She also knows how to eat, something essential for every athlete, on whatever level. Triathlon is such a demanding sport that proper nutrition is essential to prevent sagging before getting to the finish. But the diet of Tobin and her champion husband Michael is a surprise.
"We have ice cream almost every night. Athletes can eat ice cream, but everything in moderation. We always chuckle at the high or low carb diets. Just eat healthy food and don't overindulge," she says.
Jenny, 39, is currently fifth in the Xterra pro women standings; Michael, 44, was the Xterrra world champion in 2000. Both have qualified for the World Championships of the popular race series as professional triathletes every year they have competed, though Jenny took last season off to have her second child.
She says of the couple's diet, "Basically, we try not to eat processed foods. I make our dinners from fresh fruits and vegetables. My husband doesn't eat red meat, so we eat a lot of chicken and fish. We also eat a lot of pasta, rice and bread; and coming from Idaho, potatoes."
Diet is especially important just before a competition. She advises athletes to experiment until they find the best pre-race dinner for them. For Tobin, it's pizza. "I make my own pizza dough, and put chicken or chicken sausage and fresh veggies on top. I add tomatoes and zucchini from our garden," she says.
The biggest pre-comp problem for many athletes is hydration, and Tobin has a warning. "I drink a lot of fluids the night before a race, but you don't want to flush your system, so don't drink too much water or you'll wash out your electrolytes. I use a hydration backpack on the bike, because I'm not that good at taking my hands off the handlebars and doing the water bottle."
Her biggest diet advice is to eat healthy. "Stay away from fast food restaurants and prepare your own food as much as possible. You can have chocolate or cookies, but not a dozen of them. You eat two," she says. The Tobins never get obsessed about their diet, though they stay away from processed food. Jenny takes a mult vitamin, plus extra calcium and vitamins C and E.
Other diet tips athletes should know are about the way food items are purchased and stored. For example, never buy cooking oil at a discount store; there is no way of knowing whether it's rancid. Oil can easily go rancid with little or no change in taste if it's old or has been exposed to sunlight or heat. Rancid oil is dangerous. It will immediately cause an oxidation reaction in the body that depletes vitamin E and causes a storm of DNA-damaging free radicals to rush through the system---a major drawback for any athlete. Look at the 'off' date on any bottle of oil before purchasing it, and only buy small amounts so it can be used up while still fresh. Keep all oils refrigerated once they are opened; that helps keep them from going rancid.
When buying beans, rice, flour, pasta or grains, there is no way to know if they are infested with worms or bugs---or their eggs. Store those things in the freezer for at least three days to kill any insects. That way, an athlete's kitchen will never have unwanted guests.
The fresher any food is, the more nutrition it usually contains. Try to eat the freshest possible vegetables and prepare your own food---don't let a processing plant do it for you. Nutrition can be touch and go for a sedentary person, but for an athlete, nutrition is fuel, and without high grade fuel, there's no go.