| Food, Nutrition and Cycling Hi, I'm Kerry Kaylegian and I volunteered to write a column on nutrition. To start, my background and disclaimers: I love to cook, I'm working on a Ph.D. in Food Science with a minor in nutrition and an interest in exercise nutrition, I am not a registered dietician, and I have a personal bias toward good fresh food, as locally and seasonally as possible. My goal is to give you some useful information on food, nutrition and cycling. If you have specific questions, please post them on the listserve.
So, what is food? First and foremost, food is a wonderful thing to be enjoyed and savored. Food is fuel. Fuel for the mind, fuel for the body, fuel for peak performance. The major food components are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and water. Vitamins and minerals are minor components.
Carbohydrates are the master fuel for activity. Carbs provide fuel for muscles and the brain, and help burn fat and preserve protein. Protein is the structural component of muscles, cells and hormones, and can also be used as an energy source. Fat is a structural component of cells and hormones. Fat provides a concentrated form of energy.
Water, although it has no specific A nutrition@ function, is an extremely important dietary component. Water transports nutrients through the body, maintains body functions and blood volume, maintains body temperature regulation, and helps eliminate waste products. Even mild dehydration is detrimental to peak athletic performance (more on this in another column).
Vitamins and minerals do not provide a direct source of energy, but they are important in all body functions, including metabolic co-factors, oxygen transport, and antioxidant functions.
General guidelines for energy balance as a % of total kcal consumed are:
- general population: 55 carbs 15 protein <30 fat
- moderate exercise: 60 carbs 15 protein 25 fat
- intense exercise: 65-70 carbs 12-15 protein 20 fat
A few final thoughts: Enjoy your food! Eat a variety of foods! Stay hydrated!
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