My daughter is very excited about the upcoming European Cross Country championship this Saturday. It's definitely one of the most exciting races across the country. She came home yesterday telling me that she needs to follow a carbohydrate loading diet. She has no clue what kind of diet it is but she understands that it's all about carbohydrate intakes.
Importance of Carbohydrate:
Carbohydrate (CHO) is the key energy-providing nutrient that must be optimized during the days leading up to and including the day of competition. CHO loading is more or less for endurance athletes who compete for an event longer than 90 minutes. In the case of a 5k XC race (less than 30mins), it might not be necessary to load up on CHO before the race. A balance diet consisting of 45-65% CHO intake a day would be sufficient.
Eg. 1600kcal diet, 60% CHO intake = 960kcal from CHO or 240g CHO per day
Distribution of CHO throughout the day would be: 5/3/5/2+2/5/2
Before and After Execise:
Athletes should not eat too little CHO (less than 1g CHO/kg BW) during the 1-6h period before exercise and then not take in CHO during exercise. This small CHO meal primes the body to rely more heavily on blood glucose, but it does not provide enough CHO to sustain the athlete.
According to IOC Guidelines
Targets for carbohydrate intake:
Immediate recovery after exercise (0-4 hours): about 1 g per kg BW of the athlete’s body weight per hour, perhaps consumed at frequent intervals
Daily recovery from a moderate duration/low intensity training program: 5-7 g per kg BW per day
Recovery from moderate-heavy endurance training: 7-12 g per kg BW per day
Daily recovery from extreme exercise program (more than 4-6 h+ per day): 10-12 g or more per kg BW per day
Ideas for post-exercise recovery snacks
250-350ml fruit smoothie
60g breakfast cereal + milk + 1 fruit
200g carton of yogurt + cereal bar
Remember!!!
- No raw food, low fiber intake to avoid GI discomfort
- Take familiar foods
- Start the race well hydrated is a priority
