| Q: |
Most
people fall under the category of needing to lose weight.
But football players such as offensive and defensive linemen
may need to put some bulk on at certain times of the year.
How do football players gain weight in a good, safe way? |
| A: |
"It's
a matter of eating and drinking properly. I would want them
to eat 4-6 meals a day and drink a really good high calorie
beverage. What we're going to do is look at what kind of
weight they put on. We make sure that the weight
they're gaining isn't just fat, that it's good lean body
mass." |
| Q: |
Does
eating specifically red meat cause you to gain weight? |
| A: |
"You
know, that's kind of a fallacy. It takes a lot of food to
put on weight. You can overeat on cucumbers or you can
overeat on Twinkies. Both will put weight on. Football
players need to eat the right kind of foods to put on body
mass and working out well." |
| Q: |
For
high school athletes, it's often said they should eat a meal
after a game. Is that true? Do they need to eat a
snack between periods of, for example, a football game? |
| A: |
"I
think it depends on the age of the kid and the level that
they're playing at. If it's a 45-minute game and the kid
plays only about 10 or 15 minutes, then they really don't
need to be refueling during competition. But some athletes
who work out for 60 minutes in high, intense situations, I
really do want them eating or at least drinking. Drinking
water or a sports drink during high-level competition is
probably helpful. With the players, one of the most
important things is what they eat after a workout. It's
called recovery nutrition and that is the time when they can
really make a difference in how they feel and how they
refuel their muscles. With recovery nutrition, what they eat
afterwards is probably as important as what they eat
before." |
| Q: |
Is
there a general rule of thumb what to eat after a workout? |
| A: |
"Absolutely.
First of all, there's a window of time--it's about 15-30
minutes--when your muscles act like a sponge and they are
very reception to what you eat. If you put a Twinkie in
them, that's probably not the best choice. What your muscles
are looking for is food that is about four-parts
carbohydrates and one-part protein. Both of those are
helpful. There are some commercial sports beverages which we
use, but actually, chocolate milk and a peanut butter
sandwich is great, too. But that's for somebody who's doing
an intense workout. We're not talking about a recreational
athlete." |
| Q: |
Is
it okay to drink a sports drink like Gatorade when you're
not working out? |
| A: |
"I
like Gatorade for before, during and after a sports event,
but just as a beverage during the day, it's totally
unnecessary. Gatorade has sugar and electrolytes. It's
designed to make you drink a lot more. So if you have a
problem with someone who is not drinking enough water, it's
perfect because it makes you drink more. For the
recreational athlete or someone who is just going out for a
run, they really don't need Gatorade. I'd like to see all of
us--kids, athletes, whomever--drinking more water." |
| Q: |
I'm
going to ask about some foods and drinks and whether they
are healthy for you. First: How good or bad is eating ice
cream? |
| A: |
"Well,
it's all about how much and when. It's probably not a good
idea to eat a bowl of ice cream right before you go to bed,
unless you want to gain weight." |
| Q: |
How
about peanuts? Is eating peanuts good for you? |
| A: |
"That's
a really good question. Peanuts are a healthy, good snack.
However, they are very high in calories. So it's a food I
like to use for those pro football players who want to gain
weight." |
| Q: |
What
are your thoughts on consuming diet sodas? |
| A: |
"I
wouldn't want it to replace water. For healthy choices, I'm
not a big supporter of regular or diet soda, but I don't
think drinking a can of diet soda once in a while will be a
real problem." |
| Q: |
How
about eating sushi? |
| A: |
"Sushi
is great for you. I'm a big fan of eating sushi and actually
a lot of the players are, also." |
