Would be ‘Healthy Foods’ Athletes Should Avoid

by Melinda Burris Willms

            Here at Hurdles First we often discuss topics surrounding foods beneficial for increasing performance, endurance, and in fostering maintenance of optimal hydration levels. This article looks at nutrition from the opposing view—foods that are marketed as healthy alternatives but in fact, have ingredients athletes should avoid or partake of in moderation.

The following is a list foods that are generally considered to be healthy choices but in fact can negatively affect not only your athletic performance but may also adversely impact your overall health and well-being:

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1. Diet Soda

Athletes are encouraged to avoid what nutritionists often refer to as “empty calories” and are encouraged to look at each food choice they make in terms of the effects—positive or negative—each item they consume will have in making their quest to get and keep their body in optimal condition either a reality or more of a struggle.¹

A desire to cut calories in an effort to lose weight may have you reaching for diet soda. Research conducted in 2013 by Purdue professor Susan E. Swithers will make you rethink this choice. Diet sodas are a typical example of foods that offer no nutritional benefit but instead introduce artificial sweeteners into your body, ingredients scientific research has repeatedly demonstrated is bad for your body and well-being both in the short and long term. In fact, according to Swithers’ 2013 study, regularly consuming foods with a high artificial sweetener content, even in what may seem to be moderate amounts, such as one diet soda each day, puts you in a higher risk category for serious, chronic health issues, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and high blood pressure.^1,2

High amounts of artificial sweetener intake actually leads to weight gain over time. Swithers explains this phenomena detailing how consumption of artificial sweeteners temporarily fool the body, making it think it is getting the nutrition and calories it requires.^1,2 However, since food products that rely on artificial sweeteners have such a high level of sweetness (in excess of 100 times the amount of sweetness you would consume if you simply chose a beverage or food stuff with natural sugar), this leads to a condition known as insulin resistance, where the body overproduces insulin, also referred to as “the fat storage hormone.”¹

Insulin resistance is a problem that has been on the rise in Western countries in recent decades and has raised legitimate concerns because of the serious health risks associated with the condition, particularly prediabetes and diabetes type 2. The precise mechanism for how insulin resistance forms is still open for debate and scientific research is ongoing. However, medical experts agree that insulin resistance occurs as a result of the body constantly taking in too much sweetness, which in turn makes the body’s natural reaction to the presence of insulin in the system become dull and sluggish. As the individual response to insulin decreases, the body seeks to return itself to equilibrium, as a result, the pancreas produces additional insulin in an attempt to keep the body’s blood sugar level in an acceptable range. If the high intake of artificial sweeteners continues, the pancreas eventually ceases to function properly as efforts to moderate blood sugar levels fail.³

2. Rice Cakes

While rice cakes are low in calories, they offer little in the way of nutrition and have a high sugar content, with a high glycemic index that can go as high as 91 out of 100. Choose an English Muffin or a banana for a healthy carb without all the extra sugar.¹

3. Grapes

Fruits and vegetables are largely healthy choices but as with most things related to diet, moderation is key! It has been correctly noted that athletes should include grapes in their diets due to the fact that they contain flavonoids.⁴ Found in numerous natural food sources, flavonoids have been credibly linked to anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties. In addition, foods with high flavonoid levels have been shown to offer significant cancer fighting benefits. Recent scientific discoveries have also linked flavonoid intake with decreased mortality due to cardiovascular disease and identified flavonoids as a useful preventative against coronary heart disease.⁵

While it is clear that grapes and/or other sources of beneficial flavonoids, should be incorporated into people’s regular diets, it is important to bear in mind that although grapes contain natural sugar (in comparison to the empty calories found in items made with artificial sweeteners), the fruit is still high in sugar content. For this reason, it is recommended that you keep your serving of grapes to 80g, or approximately one handful. The sugar content in one 80g serving of grapes equals 13g.⁶

4. Cherries

Cherries are another fruit with anti-inflammatory properties, and professional athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike often reach for this flavorful fruit after a particularly vigorous workout or competition to help sooth aching muscles. Cherries can offer a filling snack or side dish because they are also high in fiber which aids in reaching satiation. However, athletes watching their carbohydrate intake need to be aware that one cup of raw, un-pitted cherries contains 22g of carbs. Those watching their sugar intake should also keep in mind that one cup of cherries has 17.6g of sugar.⁷

5. Microwave Popcorn

Popcorn is often touted as a healthy snack and prepared properly it can be. If you have a craving for popcorn, be sure to pop it on your stovetop or use an air popper to avoid the additional saturated fats and high levels of sodium found in bags of microwave popcorn. Add a bit of coconut oil to your freshly stove or air-popped popcorn and you will have successfully prepared a snack that is rich in fiber and antioxidants. Additional concerns have been raised over eating microwave popcorn because the bags it is packaged in are lined with a chemical named perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), the same substance that is used to create Teflon cookware.¹

Conclusion

The basic lesson here is a simple one: choose natural foods and be aware of your serving intake and how it relates to your dietary goals as recommended by your coach or trainer. The right combination of foods eaten at the right time is a key component in achieving your desired performance level.

References

1. Gagnon, T. and Smith, B. (n.d.) 20 Foods an Athlete Would Never Eat.
2. Neubert, A.P. (2013). Prof: Diet Drinks are not the Sweet Solution to Fight Obesity, Health Problems.
3. Felman, A. (26 March 2019). What to Know About Insulin Resistance.
4. Ryan’s Farmer’s Market. (9 May 2018). Why Athletes Need Fruits and Vegetables.
5. Panche A.N., Diwan A.D., and Chandra, S.R. (29 December 2016) Flavonoids: An Overview.
6. The Telegraph. (2019). The Truth about Sugar in Fruit: How Much You Should Really Eat.
7. Cervoni, B. (9 October 2019). Cherries Nutrition Facts: Calories, Carbs, and Health Benefits of Cherries.

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