Nancy Clark: Sports Nutrition News You Can Use

The Athlete’s Kitchen

Copyright: Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD, May 2012



More than 450 members of SCAN, the nation’s largest professional group of Sports & Cardiovascular Nutritionists (, convened in Baltimore (April 2012) to celebrate SCAN’s 30th birthday and learn the latest sports nutrition news. Here are a few highlights to help you eat to win!


• Beets, as well as rhubarb and arugala, are rich sources of dietary nitrates, a compound that gets converted into nitric oxide (NO). Nitric oxide dilates blood vessels, lowers blood pressure, and allows a person to exercise using less oxygen. In a study, cyclists consumed pre-ride beets and then three hours later (when NO peaks), they rode in a time trial. Every cyclist improved (on average, 2.8%) as compared to the time trial with no beets. Impressive! The amount of nitrates in 7 ounces (200 grams) beets is an effective dose. How about enjoying beets—or a bowl of borchst—before your next hard training session? (Experiement during training, not an event!)


Fuel up while cooling down is a wise mantra for runners who exercise intensely. Immediate replenishment of carbs and protein can decrease muscle soreness and inflammation, plus enhance muscle repair. What you eat before you compete can also effectively reduce post-exercise recovery. In a study, trained athletes consumed two 10.5-oz. bottles per day of tart cherry juice the week before an excruciating exercise test. They recovered faster and lost only 4% of their pre-test strength, compared with 22% loss in the group without cherry juice.



     Research to date has studied the effects of drinking 21 ounces of tart cherry juice per day for 1 to 3 weeks. (That’s the equivalent of eating 90 tart cherries/day). More research will determine the most effective dose and time-course. Because 21 ounces of tart cherry juice adds 260 calories to one's energy intake, runners will need to reduce other fruits or foods to make space for this addition to their daily intake.


• While sleeping used to be our most common “activity,” today it is sitting. The average person sits for 9 hours a day. Prolonged sitting is a risk factor for heart disease and creates health problems, including deep vein thrombosis (as can happen on planes and during long computer games). Runners who exercise for one or two hours each day still need do more daily activity and not just sit in front of a screen all day. How about a treadmill desk or “desk-ercycle”?



   Sleep deprivation (less than five hours/night) erodes well being, has detrimental effects on health, and contributes to fat gain. When we become tired, grehlin, a hormone that makes us feel hungry, becomes more active and we can easily overeat. Sleep deprivation is also linked with Type II diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.     







     In a five-year study with teens, low body satisfaction stimulated extreme and destructive dieting behaviors that led to weight gain, not weight loss. The same pattern is typical among many seemingly “healthy” runners. If you want help finding peace with your body, please seek help from a sports dietitian. Use SCAN’s referral network——to help you find someone local. What are you waiting for...?


Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD (Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics) counsels both casual and competitive athletes at her office in Newton, MA (617-795-1875). Her Sports Nutrition Guidebook and food guides for cyclists, new runners, and marathoners offer additional information. They are available at and