Sports nutrition for young athletes

MAT-SU — Coach Lyle Busbey found medical assistant and nutrition guru Chris Greig.

Actually, it wasn't hard to find Greig. She's the wife of Busbey's co-coach, Bob Greig. She became interested in nutrition when she discovered many of the doctors with whom she worked didn't have a clue about what kinds of nutrients foods contained.

So, she decided to find out. Now, she has tons of books on the subject. Last season Busbey enlisted her to take her knowledge into the realm of sports.

"Sports nutrition isn't that much different from general nutrition," Greig said. However, there is one twist. By learning how foods turn into energy in the body, athletes can train themselves to be "energized" at peak performance times.

It has to do with glucose, simple sugars that enter the bloodstream and turn into glycogen in the muscles. On the basketball court or soccer field, or in the gym, glycogen translates into energy.

Using something called the glycemic index (GI), a person can find out how fast certain foods break down in the body and, in turn, which foods will give them the best energy boost at the most opportune times.

Foods with a high GI break down faster than foods with a low GI.

"If it's two to four hours before your workout, you want foods that break down quickly," Greig said. "You want a meal with a high glycemic index."

High GI foods are important when fast energy is the key to peak performance.

But that's not all. They are also the key to refueling the body after the game. So, you want them both before and after.

What foods are high on the GI? Baked potatoes; white and wheat bread; brown rice; rice cakes; cereals, such as corn flakes, shredded wheat and grapenut flakes; raisins; bananas; carrots; and, believe it or not, watermelon.

And straight glucose is very good. If you look at those sports drinks that are advertised so much on TV, they would probably be high in glucose.

It would be a good idea, Greig said, for student athletes to throw raisins or a banana or carrot sticks in their bags, for after the game.

"It's really important to eat after, especially if they're going to play again the next day," she said.

And she said she can't stress enough the importance of eating breakfast. It sets the body's metabolism for the day.

"If they don't eat breakfast, the body thinks it's starving and the energy level slows down," Greig said.

Low GI foods take longer to break down in the body. A good time to eat them might be before bed. But each athlete is different, and each one's schedule is different. The key is finding what combination works.

Some low-to-moderate GI foods are pasta, oranges, orange juice, navy and pinto beans, lentils, grapes, apples, grapefruit, plums, yogurt (with fruit), soy beans, low-fat milk and ice cream.

Another thing, Greig said, by balancing low and high GI foods at the right times, an athlete's body can learn to store a good amount of glycogen — a reserve to draw on when the athlete starts to run out of gas.

This may be key to the edge so many athletes, coaches and trainers talk about.

But along with balancing GI foods, an athlete's (or anyone else's) body needs nutrients.

Carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, proteins and fats are key to good health.

"And the less processed, the more nutrient-dense the food would be," Greig said. "Most people's bodies are lacking in fresh fruits and vegetables."

She said when she asked the girls on Busbey's basketball team what foods were high in carbs, most said pasta. And they were right. Yet, they were surprised to find out that many fresh veggies contained a high amount of carbohydrates too. But, as an extra bonus, they also held high vitamin, mineral, and even protein amounts.

And they are full of enzymes that help the body with digestion.

So, Greig said, it would be a good idea to eat a lot of raw foods — salads, fruits, vegetables and nuts.

She also talked to the girls about the importance of getting the right amount of sleep and drinking a lot of water.

Athletes need to sleep eight to 10 hours sleep a night, she said. And water hydrates cells, flushes toxins from the body and helps process nutrients.

When Greig showed up on the court, the first thing she did was have team members fill out personal profile sheets. They recorded things like weight, height, and any recurring problems (aches, pains, health difficulties).

She had them keep a six-day food diary, recording everything they ate.

Then she designed a nutritional program for each of them. She gave each one a folder with a specific plan about how to boost energy levels.

"Each body is different, each needs a different nutritional program," Greig said.

She gave them all calorie counter books that contained food nutrient amounts. She told them she knew it might be tedious at first, but once they got the hang of it, found what foods worked best for them, and when to eat what, it would be easy. It would become habit.

"They needed to understand their bodies, to know the principles behind things, like, why do we need carbs?" Greig said. "They needed to learn how to balance carbs and proteins."

"Some wanted to do better with their diets, but didn't know how," she said.

Greig set out to teach them.

The result? "Parents said the kids totally changed their diets," Busbey said.

He saw water bottles sticking out of their backpacks instead of sodas. They were carrying around bags of carrot sticks.

But to see just how well the nutritional program translates onto the court, we'll have to wait for the next basketball season.

Right now Greig and Busbey are hoping the knowledge they gave the girls will turn into habit.

"Some of the older kids knew quite a bit about nutrition," Greig said. "Our goal was to reach the younger girls, and have it spill into their daily lives."

They learned that what goes in the body should, more or less, equal what comes out, that energy can be managed by food; that all nutrients, even fats, are important, Greig said. But they also learned how to begin to balance all these things.

Then they can take it to the court and evaluate how they feel.

Greig said she told the players that the saying is true — we really are what we eat.