Dr. Richard Maurer, ND
@DrRichardMaurer
Nutritional needs vary little for kids and adults—therefore what works for one, works for the other. But what if it’s not working for the adults. Like the famous Hippocratic adage—Physician heal thyself, we adults could benefit from a review of the dietary needs for our optimal weight, performance and activity.
Depending upon the where we draw the “overweight” line in the sand, one-third to a whopping two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. One in ten American adults are type 2 diabetic and an astounding 35% of American adults are prediabetic of which 90% don’t even know it. American kids, age eighteen and under, are raised in the nutritional climate that has created this metabolic mess. Let me help clear the confusion and help find the healthy diet for your athletic children and the greater adult community.
Three Mistakes when feeding young (and older) athletes.
#1 – Sports drinks and sugared milk
Sports drinks are an undisputed problem—even the American Association of Pediatrics, which is historically cautious about nutritional opinions took a bold stance in 2011 to attack sports drinks similarly to sodas. But I include chocolate milk too—chocolate milk has 9-12 teaspoons of sugar in 12-ounces—equivalent to most soda. The original research that put chocolate milk on the map simply compared it to sugary sports drinks and used a small group of insanely lean, elite adult cyclists. The truth is, protein helps athletes recover—therefore any protein compared to no protein provides better workout recovery.
Solution: 99% of the time, the meal that follows the exertion delivers adequate protein and carbohydrate to recover and prepare for the next day’s activities.
#2 – Low fat diets
Low fat diets do not make leaner or better athletes. There are only three foods to make a meal: Fats, carbohydrates and proteins. Lower one and the other two go up proportionally. Low fat diets elevate the overall carbohydrate burden and promote weight gain, high blood sugar and low energy.
Solution: Literally and figuratively, keep the skin on the chicken. Add dietary fats through nuts, seeds, avocados, olives, butter and enjoy the whole fatty cuts of natural non-processed meats and fish.
#3 – Frequent meals
The recommendation to eat more than 3-times per day has only been post-1970 in America, when low-fat foods mistakenly became the federal recommendation. The failed experiment of eating more-frequent low-fat meals has helped to create the overweight, over-diabetic culture that we see today.
Solution: Each meal should have the protein, fat and carbohydrate needed to fuel four to six hours of activity without hunger. The meals that follow athletic exertion must contain adequate protein to assure a full recovery.
As an author and doctor specializing in metabolic health and recovery, I base clinical decisions on data available. But at home, with three kids, here is what we have in our kitchen.
Whey protein powder: to add to smoothies in a pinch. Frozen avocados and nut or seed butters are nice fatty additions to a base such as almond milk.
Electrolyte powder: In the heat of summer especially, I add a scoop of my favorite low to no-sugar electrolyte mix to water bottles.
Multiple vitamin mineral: My kids take the same formula I use, 1-2 capsules of a broad-spectrum formula.
Only use iron if you know your child needs it. In my experience, child athletes, especially young women, should have their ferritin (iron) levels tested.
Health and performance is not just for a game or race—it lasts a lifetime. Let’s support healthy sports nutrition for our best performance both young and old. Post here or at TheBloodCode.com to share your favorite meals to support your child’s athletics.
Dr. Richard Maurer is a licensed naturopathic physician who, after practicing in a primary care setting for twenty years, provides a fresh and radical perspective on metabolic health and recovery from disease. Rather than provide yet another medical opinion, Dr. Maurer puts you in the driver’s seat of your health and wellness, helping you decode your blood test results to find the diet and fitness habits that reverse and prevent metabolic conditions, such as prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, weight gain and hypothyroid problems.
His recent book, The Blood Code: Unlock the secrets of your metabolism [2014], provides the tools for you to understand and act on key blood tests and skin fold measurements to define your personalized diet, fitness and nutritional needs. Dr. Maurer’s individualized metabolic approach is for teenagers to any age adult—with a goal toward recovering health and vitality, disease reversal is the beginning.
His personal and familial trend toward type 2 diabetes motivates him to empower people to recover their metabolic “sweet spot” through proven self-guided diet, nutritional, and fitness habits.
Dr. Maurer is the past president of the Maine Association of Naturopathic Doctors and most recently presented for the Weston Price Foundation, American Association of Naturopathic Physicians and the popular PaleoF(x) Conference. He lives in Maine with his wife Alexandra where they have raised three children.