Dietary fats in general are good for the cyclist. They help to carry fat soluble vitamins through the blood stream, boost immunity and are essential in long-term energy storage. Recent studies have also shown that a low-fat diet can actually decrease performance. “Good fats” such a monosaturated and polysaturated fats found in nuts, seeds and oils help to build cell membranes and promote ‘fat burning’ metabolism rather than fat storage. There are 3 types of fats: saturated, monsaturated and polysaturated fat. Too much saturated fat can increase blood cholesterol including harmful LDL’s. Think of “L” for Lethal when it comes to LDL cholestserol. Not all cholesterol is bad however. HDL or high density lipoprotein is considered ‘good cholesterol’, in the right proportion. High level of any cholesterol is counter-productive and can lead to cardiovascular events such as strokes and heart attacks by clogging vital arteries.
In the cycling diet, some coaches are now promoting higher fat content in post ride meals in order to take advantage of cell membrane repair and fat as a distance fuel for longer rides. Some are even promoting a higher fat to protein ratio. As we will discuss in the next segment, “For longer energy storage and cell repair past 4 hours, some training coaches and chefs for racing teams have promoted less complex carbohydrates and more balance of fruits, grains and vegetables with a healthy load of monounsaturated fat. And yes, even some fat to help repair cell membranes and help in cell recovery. In fact, more recent studies have flipped the protein/fat percentage in the diet and some now recommended 50 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent fat and only 20 percent protein for example. And studies have suggested that only in the pre-workout meal should the percentage of protein and fat be flipped. Typically, a 3000 calorie diet should consist of about 100 grams of fat, but make it the good kind, like mono or poly saturated fat. Studies have found that transfat and hydrogenated fat or unsaturated fat will lead to plaque building heart disease by increasing the levels of LDL cholesterol and decreasing ‘good’ HDL cholesterol in the body.”
Many Americans consume a majority of fat in the diet and diabetes, obesity, heart disease, hypertension and other health ailments are of epidemic proportions in the United States. In fact , studies have shown that a majority of Americans get their daily caloric intake from up to 65% fat in the diet. This has been a major contributor to our current health epidemic. Even in the presence of exercise, high fat diets can still cause heart disease and other health issues. The American Heart Association recommends less than 30% of the total calories consumed daily should come from fat. In a typical 2000 calorie diet, that means up to 65 grams of fat can be consumed each day. For cyclists who typically should consume 3000 calories or more per day depending on your level of training, you are allowed up to 100 grams of fat consumption.
To determine the amount of caloric intake from fats, most foods are now required by law to label the amount of protein, carbohydrate and fat content in grams. To calculate the amount of calories from fat, roughly each gram of fat provides about 9 calories. So, if a particular food contains 10 grams of fat, the food provides 9 x 10 = 90 calories from fat.
Saturated fats in the cycling diet should be avoided. Unsaturated fats or trans fats are found in margarine and shortening, however, they have been shown to also have the same cardiovascular risks as saturated fats. Monosaturated and polysaturated fats are probably the best type of fat to consume. Polysaturated fats found in nuts, corn, soybeans and sunflowers help to reduce cholesterol. Omega- 3, polysaturated fats found is fish such as tuna and salmon have also been shown to prevent arteriosclerosis or plaque, hardening of the arteries, act as anti-inflammatory agents and prevent blood clots. Plus, fish is highly rich in protein , another benefit. Monosaturated fats found in flax seed, funflower seed oil, olive oil, peanut oil and canola oil also help to reduce plaque building cholesterol. More recent studies have also concluded that increasing your diet in fat repairing monosaturated and polysaturated fats actually improves overall cycling performance.
Sources:
Livestrong
Self Nutrition Data
Fatsecret
Wikipedia
Ride safe!
© Corpus Christi Cycling, 2012
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