| Sports and Proper Hydration Parents everywhere love the exercise and fitness offered by organized sports, but many wonder about the best way to provide the proper nutrition and fluids for their young athletes.
Sports nutrition experts recommend eating from two to three hours before game time. For morning games, that means getting up early enough to eat two hours before game time. For events in the early to mid-afternoon, breakfast and lunch are important. For late-afternoon games add a light afternoon snack and for evening games, all of these meals plus an early light supper is recommended.
Oily, greasy fast foods such as burgers, fries, chips, or pizza can take up to three hours to digest so it’s best to choose healthy, nutrient-dense whole foods. You might also include 100% fruit juice or some fruit such as applesauce, an apple, some grapes, or a banana. It’s also a good idea to provide a modest amount of low-fat protein in pre-game meals. For vegetarian families, whole grains, legumes, soy products, and nuts and seeds are great protein sources. Other good choices include fat free or low-fat milk or yogurt, one egg, or a sandwich on whole grain bread made with a quality lean meat.
An equally important part of pre-game nutrition is drinking enough fluid. Dehydration is uncomfortable, hampers performance and in extreme cases, can be dangerous. Pre-game meals should include one or two cups of water. Then, about 30 minutes before the activity, youths should drink one to two cups of cool water to arrive fully hydrated.
It’s best to avoid sodas, energy drinks and other high-sugar drinks right before the event because the high sugar content can cause stomach cramps and nausea during strenuous game activity. Outside of sports time, the preferred beverage to relieve and prevent thirst is water as well.
Some parents find it helpful to mark lines on kids’ drink bottles as a guide to help them drink enough throughout the game or practice. By half-time, for example, they should have consumed half of their water. Some professionals recommend weighing your child before and after a sports event. Weight lost in such a short time is fluid loss, and your child can re-hydrate by drinking one cup of water for every half-pound lost. Weighing also helps you learn how much fluid is needed for your young athletes to stay properly hydrated. Tomato Lovers! Scientists are suggesting that tomato lovers may be more likely to reduce the risk of serious disease. Lycopene, an anti oxidant which gives tomatoes their lovely rich red color, helps remove free radicals from the body. Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules and have been implicated in cancer and other serious diseases.
Professor Michael Avirim of the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, Israel who is testing lycopene in clinical trials says, ' In its natural form, lycopene is an excellent anti oxidant that helps to prevent formation of oxidized LDL, the 'bad' cholesterol in blood, which contributes to the build up of plaque that narrows, stiffens and constricts arteries and can lead to heart attacks. When this natural extract was added to cancer cell cultures, the lycopene inhibited their growth. Lycopene is the most potent nutritional antioxidant found to date.
Another study compared men who had had a heart attack with the same number of healthy men and found that those with high levels of lycopene appeared to reduce their risk of heart diseases by 50%. The study’s coordinator, Lenore Kohlmeier, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the university of North Carolina, said, 'Based on our findings, and other research, lycopene can be an excellent antioxidant, we recommend that people eat tomato based cooked foods.'
Several recent studies have shown that a diet rich in tomatoes and tomato products is strongly linked to a reduced risk of certain cancers. In a six year study of 48,000 male professionals, Dr Edward Giovannucci and colleagues at Harvard Medical School found that consuming tomatoes and tomato based products between five to seven serving a week was associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer of 21% to 34%.
Another study published in the International Journal of Cancer said that lycopene appears to protect against cancer of the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, colon and rectum. Researchers at the University of Illinois report that women with the highest lycopene levels had a five fold lower risk of developing precancerous signs of cervical cancer than women with lowest lycopene levels.
The human body does not produce lycopene alone and therefore relies on a consumption of tomatoes and tomato based products for this anti oxidant. Nutritionists and other health professionals have long advocated the cancer preventative benefits of a diet high in fruits and vegetables. .
Lycopene: Just The Facts
Research by Dr. Joseph Levy and colleagues from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel, may have identified the unique mechanism through which lycopene protects against cancer which is by activating cancer-preventive phase II enzymes.
Lycopene is an open-chain unsaturated carotenoid that imparts red color to tomatoes.
Lycopene is a proven anti-oxidant that may lower the risk of certain diseases including cancer and heart disease.
In the body, lycopene is deposited in the liver, lungs, prostate gland, colon and skin. Its concentration in body tissues tends to be higher than all other carotenoids.
Epidemiological studies have shown that high intake of lycopene-containing vegetables is inversely associated with the incidence of certain types of cancer. For example, habitual intake of tomato products has been found to decrease the risk of cancer of the digestive tract among Italians.
In one six-year study by Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, the diets of more than 47,000 men were studied. Of 46 fruits and vegetables evaluated, only the tomato products (which contain large quantities of lycopene) showed a measurable relationship to reduce prostate cancer risk. As consumption of tomato products increased, levels of lycopene in the blood increased, and the risk for prostate cancer decreased. The study also showed that the heat processing of tomatoes and tomato products increases Lycopene bioavailability.
Ongoing research suggests that lycopene can reduce the risk of macular degenerative disease, serum lipid oxidation and cancers of the lung, bladder, cervix and skin. Aloe Vera In September 2002, breakthrough research conducted by University of Scranton scientists on the use of Aloe vera was presented at the International Aloe Science Council (IASC) annual conference. Lead researcher, Dr. Joe A. Vinson, described the research study demonstrating increased bioavailability of vitamins C and E when taken in combination with Aloe vera. The study was a human clinical trial whereby test subjects were given doses of vitamin C or E with or without Aloe. Blood samples were taken at the start of the trial, before the administration of the vitamins, and periodically for 24 hours after the administration of blinded test samples. The blood plasma was then analyzed to determine the level of concentration of each vitamin absorbed. The results of the trial show that Aloe vera improves the absorption of both vitamin C and E. The absorption is slower and the vitamins last longer in the blood plasma with Aloe vera. Researchers concluded that the intake of Aloe vera should be considered as a way to complement vitamins C and E. Joule Joule is handcrafted from pure ebbing & flowing spring water, aloe vera, Cinnamon Oil, and pure, 24 carat medicinal gold. Gold, when absorbed into the blood stream has wonderful nutritional effects on the body. Raw aloe gel is known as the "potted physician" because of its naturally occurring potassium, niacin, calcium, iron , magnesium, pro-vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin and 8 of the 10 essential amino acids. Joule is the perfect "nightcap" for people seeking a good night's sleep through a great tasting oblation of medicinal gold and plant nutrition. Hit life with your best shot --- enjoy!
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