Nutrient Partitioning and Timing
(The Big Picture)
(The Big Picture)
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1. In order to compete, a person must train intensely. What diet is needed to
train so intensely?
Broadly speaking, the things to focus on are glycogen recovery when glycogen is low
(breakfast and post training), hydration throughout the day, healthy fats in each meal
(but avoid fats during training), moderate (not high) protein, and, particularly before
training, fiber-vitamin-mineral rich carbohydrates (but not during training, when powders
and drinks are the most easily digested).
2. What are the nutritional needs of a year-long training cycle?
The healthiest breakdown of carbohydrates, protein and fat in grams is ~1/2, 1/6, and
1/3, respectively (where no more than 1/3 of the fat is saturated). This correlates to
~60, 20, 20% in kcals for carbohydrate, protein, and fat. During the base building
period during the year, on non-training days, and during regular meals on all days
regardless of where you are in your cycle, these ratios will allow all aspects of your cells
to recover. During training this changes to zero fat, 0-20% protein, and refined
carbohydrates (no fiber). During training, the goal is short-term health (hydration) and
delaying fatigue (hydration, carbohydrate and electrolyte intake), not recovery or long-
term health. The latter begins the moment the race is over and takes up your time until
the next training session begins.
3. How does digestion change with diet?
Digestion is slowed down by fiber, protein, and fat (this is a good thing since it keeps
blood sugar stable and therefore maximizes recovery and minimizes body fat). Digestion
is also slowed down by dehydration (a bad thing since dehydration breaks down muscle
tissue and everything else in your body).
4. What do you think of “Food pairings”?
“Food parings” is the idea that specific types of foods should be eaten together (like
peanuts and apricots, but not peanuts with bread, for example). There is no scientific
basis for food pairings so I view it as superstition. The pancreas secretes digestive
juices for carbohydrates and protein, the gall bladder secretes bile to digest fats, and
evolution has tuned this system for tens of thousands of years to process any and all
nutrients going into the stomach regardless of what foods are “paired” together.
5. Do different kinds of fats digest equally well?
In general, yes. Fats are emulsified into balls (called chylomicrons) containing any
mixture of fats you might be eating before being transported into the lymph and then the
circulatory system. There are no specific transporters for different kinds of fats (as
there are for carbohydrates and amino acids). During exercise, it has been shown that
medium-chain triacylglycerols digest easier than other forms of fat (such as fatty acids,
long-chain triacylglycerols, cholines, or cholesterol; see Article #1) Fats do not provide
any training benefit during exercise itself other than possibly suppressing hunger. For
training longer than a couple hours hunger can become significant and your maximum
effort level for longer training is lower than for shorter training so you can digest some
fats (the intestines get more blood flow at lower training intensities). Beware, however,
that fats can easily cause stomach cramps when exercising (depending on how much
you eat all at once, how much water you are drinking, how intense the training, if you are
conditioned to fat intake during training, etc: follow your best judgment).
6. Does digestion change at night?
Yes. Digestion rate decreases as your metabolism decreases during sleep. Also,
since you can’t drink water while you are sleeping, large meals before bed time
dehydrate you significantly before the meal is fully processed (which further reduces
digestion during sleep).
7. What is the efficiency of digestion with large meals versus small meals?
Once your body is used to digesting large meals, they can be digested as efficiently
as small meals. It will take a couple of weeks for your body to get adjusted to large meals
and the fiber they contain, and large meals always take more time to digest simply
because they contain more calories. Large meals are not good ways to maximize
recovery and minimize body fat because, although digestion occurs readily, blood sugar
will go too high and dehydration will easily occur. High blood sugar results in insulin
release, which sends calories to fat cells disproportionately, lowering blood sugar. The
latter lowers energy levels and mental focus.
train so intensely?
Broadly speaking, the things to focus on are glycogen recovery when glycogen is low
(breakfast and post training), hydration throughout the day, healthy fats in each meal
(but avoid fats during training), moderate (not high) protein, and, particularly before
training, fiber-vitamin-mineral rich carbohydrates (but not during training, when powders
and drinks are the most easily digested).
2. What are the nutritional needs of a year-long training cycle?
The healthiest breakdown of carbohydrates, protein and fat in grams is ~1/2, 1/6, and
1/3, respectively (where no more than 1/3 of the fat is saturated). This correlates to
~60, 20, 20% in kcals for carbohydrate, protein, and fat. During the base building
period during the year, on non-training days, and during regular meals on all days
regardless of where you are in your cycle, these ratios will allow all aspects of your cells
to recover. During training this changes to zero fat, 0-20% protein, and refined
carbohydrates (no fiber). During training, the goal is short-term health (hydration) and
delaying fatigue (hydration, carbohydrate and electrolyte intake), not recovery or long-
term health. The latter begins the moment the race is over and takes up your time until
the next training session begins.
3. How does digestion change with diet?
Digestion is slowed down by fiber, protein, and fat (this is a good thing since it keeps
blood sugar stable and therefore maximizes recovery and minimizes body fat). Digestion
is also slowed down by dehydration (a bad thing since dehydration breaks down muscle
tissue and everything else in your body).
4. What do you think of “Food pairings”?
“Food parings” is the idea that specific types of foods should be eaten together (like
peanuts and apricots, but not peanuts with bread, for example). There is no scientific
basis for food pairings so I view it as superstition. The pancreas secretes digestive
juices for carbohydrates and protein, the gall bladder secretes bile to digest fats, and
evolution has tuned this system for tens of thousands of years to process any and all
nutrients going into the stomach regardless of what foods are “paired” together.
5. Do different kinds of fats digest equally well?
In general, yes. Fats are emulsified into balls (called chylomicrons) containing any
mixture of fats you might be eating before being transported into the lymph and then the
circulatory system. There are no specific transporters for different kinds of fats (as
there are for carbohydrates and amino acids). During exercise, it has been shown that
medium-chain triacylglycerols digest easier than other forms of fat (such as fatty acids,
long-chain triacylglycerols, cholines, or cholesterol; see Article #1) Fats do not provide
any training benefit during exercise itself other than possibly suppressing hunger. For
training longer than a couple hours hunger can become significant and your maximum
effort level for longer training is lower than for shorter training so you can digest some
fats (the intestines get more blood flow at lower training intensities). Beware, however,
that fats can easily cause stomach cramps when exercising (depending on how much
you eat all at once, how much water you are drinking, how intense the training, if you are
conditioned to fat intake during training, etc: follow your best judgment).
6. Does digestion change at night?
Yes. Digestion rate decreases as your metabolism decreases during sleep. Also,
since you can’t drink water while you are sleeping, large meals before bed time
dehydrate you significantly before the meal is fully processed (which further reduces
digestion during sleep).
7. What is the efficiency of digestion with large meals versus small meals?
Once your body is used to digesting large meals, they can be digested as efficiently
as small meals. It will take a couple of weeks for your body to get adjusted to large meals
and the fiber they contain, and large meals always take more time to digest simply
because they contain more calories. Large meals are not good ways to maximize
recovery and minimize body fat because, although digestion occurs readily, blood sugar
will go too high and dehydration will easily occur. High blood sugar results in insulin
release, which sends calories to fat cells disproportionately, lowering blood sugar. The
latter lowers energy levels and mental focus.
© Clyde F. Wilson