Nutrition: How to maximize
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MICHELLE HURN R.D. L.D.
LOCAL SUPER HERO
HURN@OHSU.EDU
What are we going to go over:
 What to eat on a daily basis for maximum health,
energy and recovery
 Pre/post workout nutrition
 Supplements:
Stable Blood Sugar vs highs and lows
Why it matters: Blood sugar:
 If you blood sugar is consistently too high, your body stores the excess
sugars as adipose tissue (fat)
 If you blood sugar is consistently too low, your body slows down your
metabolism and prevents itself from breaking down fat as fuel (this
is purely evolutionary; this used to be beneficial when humans would go for
prolonged periods without being able to hunt or gather food)
 **Most people operate in the “too low” zone at least part of the time. This is
when you feel tired, irritable, sleepy, and hungry. This zone is also called
the “I can’t make good decisions zone. When you are here, you don’t
want chicken and broccoli, you will crave fatty, salty food, or sugary, high
calorie dense food (Donuts anyone?) (Once again this isn’t a lack of will
power, this is purely evolutionary)
 EVERYTHING works better in the ideal zone. Your body burns fats,
cells turn over, muscles heal, your brain is sharp, you don’t feel like you
want to smack that annoying person at work as much as… Keeping your
self in this zone as much as possible is the key to health and performance.
How do I stablize my blood sugar throughout the
day
 Carbohydrate source (carbohydrates stimulate the release
of insulin which causes your blood sugar levels to increase)
 Protein and/or fat (proteins and fats and processed more
slowly and prevent blood sugars from spiking and crashing)
 Fiber (fiber slows down how quickly food leaves the
stomach and how quickly glucose enters the blood stream.
Also, foods with fiber don’t cause insulin to rise as high as
foods without fiber)
It matters!
 Great sources of complex carbohydrates (quinoa, oats,
rice, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, black beans, peas,
corn, (why are bread, pasta, and crackers not on this
list? Send me an email and let’s talk about it!)
 Great sources of protein: free range poultry (chicken,
turkey) and eggs, grass fed beef, buffalo, wild game, fish,
seafood, (why is soy not on this list? Send me an email,
lets talk about it)
 Great sources of fat: nuts, nut butter, olive oil, avocados,
flax oil, fish oil
It Maters
 Fruits: Fruits have simple sugars which break down
quicker than the starch in complex carbs. Fruits are
full of fiber, water, and minerals.
 Vegetables: Most vegetables provide lots of vitamins
and minerals and minimal calories.
 Dairy: Raw or organic milk, yogurt, cheese
Pre workout NO excuses please
 “I don’t want to eat before a workout because:
I don’t want to burn calories, not take them in
2. It upsets my stomach
3. I’m not hungry/ I don’t have time
 Starting a workout with topping off your glycogen
stores not only fuels your muscles, it helps fuel your
brain (it can make hard/long efforts not seem so
hard!)
1.
Eat or drink 25 carbohydrates before working out
(minimal fat and protein optional)
 SOOOOO many studies have shown that eating before a
workout helps improve performance and helps you burn
more calories throughout the day. So that’s my first
recommendation:
 Ideas: I love generation UCAN 1 scoop = 22 grams of no
crash, gluten free carbohydrates.
 Other options include 1 banana or small piece of fruit, or
½ nutrition bar (like power bar or a granola bar) or 1
small bowl of oatmeal.
 Before very long workouts (or long runs) it’s a good idea
to get twice as much carbohydrates in. **Just like with
running, you have to practice eating to see what works
with your stomach.
UCAN
During
 Drink Plain water for walks/runs 30-45 minutes
 When walks/runs get longer, practice with sports
drinks, gus, gels, shot blocks, etc
Immediately after
You have 30 minutes to get this window
DO NOT BLOW IT HERE! This can really set recovery and the next
days/weeks runs up for fatigue.
Don’t TRADE dollars for dimes! Thinking that not eating after a workout will
help you lose weight (because after all you just burned a bunch of calories)
is like trading dollars for dimes. The 100-300 calories you “save” by not
eating/drinking carbs and protein after working out will significantly
decrease your recovery. And, how many times have you restricted
calories early in the day only to come back and eat a large meal and dessert
at night?
Immediately after running:
 8-12 ounces of plain water (rehydrate your body and help settle your
stomach from gastric acid that may have built up extra from working out)
 Have 25-40 grams of carbohydrates with 8-12 grams of protein
after working out. Minimize fat because this slows down the absorption
of glycogen into the muscles.
Immediately after
 I always use Recoverite. This is the best recovery
supplement I have found. From a run of 6 miles to
20, when I’m done running, its 12 ounces of water
followed by 1-3 scoops of Recoverite (depending on
how much I just ran).
 Other options: Endurox recovery drink, power bar
recovery drink, Gu Brew recovery drink, or you can
make your own smoothie with fruit and whey
protein. Don’t forget bananas, oranges, oatmeal,
Gatorade, powerade, chocolate milk.
 However you get it get carbs and protein!!
Supplements:
 Supplements are complements to a whole foods
based diet (NOT TO REPLACE FOOD OR MEALS)
 The are to bridge the gaps or to provide specific,
easily digestible pre/during/post exercise options
 From my experience, they are necessary due to the
variation of nutrients in the same foods (i.e. one
orange may have 100% of your daily vitamin C while
another may only have 25%)
My favorite supplements: I do NOT work for any company, nor do I get
any kick backs, so this is my unbiased opinion. All of these supplements
have sent their products to third party labs to test for purity and potency
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The multivitamin that I recommend is:
New Chapter Every Women’s One Daily, I also like Rainbow Light, and Garden of
Life
http://www.newchapter.com/multi-vitamins/every-womans-one-daily
You can find this multivitamin at New Seasons, Whole Foods, or the Vitamin Shoppe
The calcium supplement I recommend is:
Tri Boron Plus by Twin Lab
You can get this online at http://www.twinlab.com/product/tri-boron-plus
Or at Vitamin Shoppe, Super Supplements, or at Fred Meyer. I like this supplement because it
has calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, and all the co factors to help your body absorb it.
Ultimate Iron by Enzymatic Therapy: (This is the iron supplement I use)
I recommend getting your iron checked every 3 months; Once you get your iron
checked, if you’re ferritin is under 30 (most women who run have low levels), you
can improve your levels with daily supplementation.
You can get this online at: http://www.enzymatictherapy.com/Products/Energy/DailyEnergy/05229-Ultimate-Iron.aspx
Or you can get it at super supplements. I didn’t see it at New Seasons last time I was there.
I also like Floridix, it’s a terrible tasting but easily assimilated liquid iron:
http://www.floradix.net/
You can get Floridix at New Seasons or the Vitamin Shoppe
My favorite supplements cont:
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Generation UCANN: (1 scoop pre work out; 2 scoops pre long workout)
This supplement has some FANTASTIC research behind it. It was developed for a child with
glycogen storage disease. It’s a pure carbohydrate modified to prevent blood sugar spikes. This
is brilliance for athletes.
Right now you can only get it online. I like plain. It’s easy to drink and does the job. Check out
their website, and you can order the product there
http://www.generationucan.com/home.html
Recoverite (1-2 scoops as soon as possible after working out; within 30 minutes)
This is a great 3:1 carbohydrate to whey protein ratio.
I can tell a difference in how I feel the next day when I use this. You can get this at most
running stores or online: http://www.hammernutrition.com/products/recoverite.rr.html
Fish oil really helps blunt inflammation: I really like Max Muscles liquid peach
mango fish oil. It taste good! No Joke!
 http://www.maxmusclestoreonline.com/essential_omega_peach_mango/
 Go to a Max Muscle store near you! They will let you sample any of their products (including
awesome fish oil) for free. I have a good relationship with the owner of the Max Muscle in the
Pearl District. Tell her Michelle Hurn sent you.
YES!
THIS FIRST!!
Questions?
 By Michelle Hurn R.D. L.D. High School State
Champion, NCAA Division 1 Runner, 3 timeBoston
Marathon Qualifier, and Local Super Hero
 hurn@ohsu.edu
 Work phone 503-494-2760
 Go be AWESOME!