Q: What should you eat at lunch during the workday to avoid the mid-afternoon slump? And if you hit the slump anyway, what are the best vending machine options? (I am not organized enough to bring something good from home).
A: Carbohydrate-rich foods have been shown to increase the levels of tryptophan and promote synthesis of serotonin, which has a number of effects on behavior. Sleepiness has been shown to result following a high-carbohydrate meal in some individuals in a research setting. Because meals! Usually consist of a mixture of protein, fat and carbohydrates; a strong effect would be unlikely from a typical meal. It does make sense to eat a light, well-balanced meal and avoid alcohol to help stay alert in the afternoon.
Q: After exercising, you're supposed to eat high-carbohydrate foods. I don't understand why, if what you're trying to "rebuild" is muscle. Wouldn't eating protein make more sense?
A: Exercise does increase the rate of turnover of muscle, and protein is needed to replenish muscle tissue. This can be accomplished, however, by eating a diet of about 15 percent of the calories from protein, an amount easily provided by a normal diet that includes meat. In training and racing, the limiting factor determined during duration and intensity of activity is the amount of glycogen stored in the muscle and in the liver. Glycogen is the form in which carbohydrate is stored in the body, and it serves as a source of fuel for your muscles during exercise. Liver glycogen can be converted to energy in the form of glucose. While training can increase the body's capacity both to store and to spare glycogen during exercise, the amount of glycogen that can be stored by the body is still limited, therefore, a high carbohydrate diet is essential to restore and maintain maximum glycogen stores for optimum performance.
Q: When you look at the nutrients for some vegetables — zucchini, yellow summer squash, radishes, cucumbers and eggplant, for instance — they seem to have almost nothing going for them. What's the point of eating them?
A: Even though the vegetables you listed may not be outstanding sources of major nutrients commonly listed in food composition tables, they do provide consistent sources of such nutrients as potassium, folic acid, vitamin A, zinc and even a little iron. They also have high water content, are very low in fat, and therefore, are low in calories. They also provide small amounts of protein and carbohydrate along with fiber. The variations in texture and color of these vegetables can enhance the appearance and taste of a meal as well. In addition they contain substances called phytochemicals, which may be protective against certain diseases, such as cancer and heart disease. Researchers are actively investigating the role of phytochemicals in health promotion and disease prevention. Current recommendations are to include three to five portions of vegetables and two to four servings of fruit per day.
