Training & Nutrition - Foods to absolutely avoid

What foods would you absolutely avoid as being detrimental to training health. I personally avoid fast food, most pizza (too much crappy cheese), pork most of the time and anything really salty but I can't avoid sugar. It follows me.

Well, I think there is no food you should absolutely avoid unless it is poisonous. I think the thing most people don't understand is moderation.

Anything with hydrogenated/trans fat or high fructose corn syrup. I don't think there's any room for consuming these substances, even "in moderation". (That said, nobody's perfect and accidentally consuming a little is better than intentionally consuming a lot.)

Personally, I'm a fat and fructose burning engine from over 7 years of endurance training! ;) I have no qualms at age almost-48 eating a Big Mac or two chased by a caffeine laden cola on a long ride. My last physical, my total cholesterol was in the mid 140s with an LDL in the 60s. Since age 40, when I started running, I dropped 50 pounds.

So, ditto to what tekhna proposed.

What foods would you absolutely avoid as being detrimental to training health. I personally avoid fast food, most pizza (too much crappy cheese), pork most of the time and anything really salty but I can't avoid sugar. It follows me.

If you are training, salt = electrolytes and sugar = carbohydrates = energy to burn.

Avoid pork? Surely you jest.

Porkfat rules.

What foods would you absolutely avoid as being detrimental to training health. I personally avoid fast food, most pizza (too much crappy cheese), pork most of the time and anything really salty but I can't avoid sugar. It follows me.It's not so much the type of food that you have to avoid, it's the amount that's important. Sugar, white-bread, dirty-rice, complex-carbs, whole-grains all end up as glucose on the other side of the intestinal walls once it's absorbed. The issue is how much you eat and how quickly you absorb it. High-GI foods are actually good after a ride for quick recovery and preventing muscle-loss. At other times you'll want low-GI foods. Overall, you don't want to eat more than you burn off, that's really the important part (unless you're a bodybuilder or sumo-wrestler going for weight gain).

And during rides, you'll want to be taking in about 1000mg of salt and electrolytes per hour, which may sound like an obscene amount to people who aren't used to exercising. But that's really just keeping up with the amount you sweat away.

So in nutritional terms, you want to be aware that eating for fitness and training for fitness-improvement requires a different diet than couch-potatos trying to lose weight.

I generally try to avoid fast food, fried food, and caloried sodas. Other than that, I just watch my portions and make sure that I'm eating plenty of veggies and fruit.

I try to avoid food that's past it's expiration date.

Az

Why the downer on Pizza and "crappy" cheese. There is nothing wrong with proper cheese (as opposed to preservative and colouring-enhanced factory cheeze).
Bread, tomatoes, olive oil, herbs, bufallo cheese are all vital components of a well balanced diet.

I don't deliberately try to avoid any foods ... and I also think moderation is the key.

So often researchers come out with some sort of recommendations saying that this is bad for you and that is bad for you, and everyone jumps on the bandwagon for a while, and then they discover that whatever it was isn't as bad as everyone thought after all.

Take eggs for example. At one time it was recommended to remove eggs from your diet all together because getting anywhere near an egg would triple your cholesterol level and strike you dead within a week. But now they realize that perspective was wrong, and they are saying to eat eggs in moderation - like 2 a day.

Then there's the other side of the coin where researchers tell people to eat something because it will reduce their cholesterol levels and be good for them, but then they discover that maybe it isn't after all. Take oatbran for example. For a while oatbran muffins were all the rage because someone said that oatbran would reduce cholesterol. I was working in a place that sold muffins at the time and suddenly we added oatbran muffins to the menu and they were a hit! But then they discovered that a person would have to eat something like 50 muffins a day to get the required amount of oatbran to reduce their cholesterol ... and if you're consuming 50 fairly high calorie muffins each day ... you will likely end up with a whole lot of other problems!!

You've probably heard that consuming Vit E and Folic acid are good things to do ... well, now they have come out with studies that perhaps we shouldn't be consuming as much of those as what was once recommended.

And don't get me started on all the fad diets out there!!

The thing is, every time you pick up a magazine or newspaper, there's another article saying that this is bad for you and this is good for you ... and 3 months later, that's all changed again.

IMO, we're all going to die eventually anyway. Something is going to kill us. If it isn't our diet, it'll be a semi running us over, or a hereditary heart disease, or cancer from working in a smoke-filled restaurant from our younger days, or genetics, or old age. So I figure the best way to approach diet is to eat as well-balanced a diet as possible (refer to things like the Canada food guide), keeping moderation in mind, and treat yourself to yummy stuff now and then! :)


That said, there are two foods I find pack on the pounds for me: Costco muffins and a bag of microwave popcorn. Both have about 700 calories in them, and I barely have to glance at them and I start gaining weight. There was one winter, before I knew how high in calories they are, where I was eating one or the other, or sometimes both every day - the muffin was for lunch and the popcorn was for an evening snack. Plus, there was supper, and coffee-break snack and so on. I packed on 25 lbs that winter!! That's something I'm trying very hard to avoid repeating.

That said, there are two foods I find pack on the pounds for me: Costco muffins and a bag of microwave popcorn. Both have about 700 calories in them, and I barely have to glance at them and I start gaining weight. There was one winter, before I knew how high in calories they are, where I was eating one or the other, or sometimes both every day - the muffin was for lunch and the popcorn was for an evening snack. Plus, there was supper, and coffee-break snack and so on. I packed on 25 lbs that winter!! That's something I'm trying very hard to avoid repeating.
I enjoy popcorn, but I don't eat it very often. When I do, I eat the no-butter microwave kind, only has ~300 calories for the whole bag.

I agree with everything in your post though. People get too caught up on the latest fad and miracle advice. Like everyone else has said, moderation is key.

Things I say NEVER consume:
1. Soda/softdrinks
2. Trans-fats (watch some of the "healthy" bread labels)
3. Fast food

Otherwise you're fine in moderation.


Cheese is actually good for you. It has some fat, lots of calcium etc. It's only bad if you eat too much.

1. Donuts. You take something that's already bad for you and then deep-fry it in oil.

2. Suateed vegatables. I used to eat a lot of them thinking they were good for me, but in reality they are very bad for you.

Foods that make me woozy . . .

I've observed lately that chocolate and red wine make me wake up with a sore throat and stuffy nose so I am now avoiding them

donuts make me woozy
anything fried makes me very happy for about 45 minutes, then I feel like I am going to pass out
dairy queen butterscotch dipped cones . . . make me woozy and feel like I need a nap about 2 hours after
white flour pancakes . . .
Doritos, Pringles . . . or any of those addictive chips make me feel lousy for about 4 days

Anytime I eat too much sugar . . . like a heavily frosted cake for example . . . I get a headache.

I agree everything in moderation, but it seems the more careful I am the less it takes, or perhaps it's just my awareness is higher now. When I haven't had the bad stuff, my body doesn't miss it. When I have it my system I am kind of happy at first, but then it responds the way Spurlock's did in Supersize Me after his first splurge.

Sandy

Well, I think there is no food you should absolutely avoid unless it is poisonous. I think the thing most people don't understand is moderation.

Pretty much aced it right off the blocks. Things wouldn't be considered edible if they had strongly negative effects. I guess alcohol might fall in between the cracks though.

Pretty much aced it right off the blocks. Things wouldn't be considered edible if they had strongly negative effects. I guess alcohol might fall in between the cracks though.

"Strongly Negative" is the key phrase here.

Any number of foods can have a negative effect that stay under the radar but their effect builds up over time. Perfectly healthy foods such as potato's, tomato's, peppers, eggplants(aubergenes) and capsicums belong to the family of plants called nightshades. There great foods for many but I can't tolerate them.

Any way I would alway's reccomend avoiding "Frankenfoods"

Hydrogenated/transfats and ANY food that contains them is on the top of the avoid list. They encourage a lot of free radical damage which builds up over time. HFCS is right up there as a frankenfood. Artificial sweeteners are also on my "Not in this lifetime" list.

Regards, Anthony

OK. So suggest a pre-ride breakfast before i go out for a couple of hours this morning,30-35 miles. What should i eat and how long before i ride? Most the time i have waffles or cereal an hour-hour and a half before i go and i'll eat an engery bar an hour into my ride. During the workweek i ride and hour and a half 4 days and try to eat apple sauce and oranges an hour before i ride.

I only stay away from foods that I don't like the taste of. Such as broccoli. Or liver. Or swiss cheese. And I don't drink anything alcoholic. Otherwise, I eat like a roach and I'm doing OK.

OK. So suggest a pre-ride breakfast before i go out for a couple of hours this morning,30-35 miles. What should i eat and how long before i ride? Most the time i have waffles or cereal an hour-hour and a half before i go and i'll eat an engery bar an hour into my ride. During the workweek i ride and hour and a half 4 days and try to eat apple sauce and oranges an hour before i ride.That's fine, try to eat a banana or two as well.

I'm another "moderation" guy myself. You're kidding yourself if you think avoiding things like high fructose corn syrup puts you on some higher plane of fitness, while still eating other sugars.

Lots of foods and specific ingredients get bad press, but if you read beyond the headlines, the reason is almost always overconsumption. Having them -- even the "truly awful" ones like trans-fats -- in moderation is not detrimental. The problem is that people get carried away: both in eating things and being scared about eating things.

As such, I'd say there are no foods to absolutely avoid. But you should understand what is in the foods you do eat, and moderate properly.

If you don't eat... you will die...

If it is lower than me on the food chain it is fair game. If it is higher than me on the food chain all the better. I draw the line at other primates though.

Some "slow" foods will take you out as quickly, or even more quickly, than "fast" foods and you don't have a drive up window option ;)

SandySwimmer's list is pretty much my list. Pancakes will make me feel so lurgey. Blah! Just thinking about them makes my stomach churn a bit. Ditto donuts

Okay, choccy and red wine don't bother me, but I don't have either of them often enough to really count.

2. Suateed vegatables. I used to eat a lot of them thinking they were good for me, but in reality they are very bad for you.
What are sauteed veggies, and why are they bad?

My theory is that if you stoke the furnace hot enough, it will burn anything cleanly. So an occasional "terrible" food like, oh let's say for example, a handful of Oreos (more likely a bagful ;)) isn't going to hurt you if you're burning it off through daily exercise.

I think this varies from person to person. I have some pretty well-defined rules about what I eat and what I don't. I don't eat sugar, processed wheat flour, rice, potatoes, etc. I do eat lots of whole grains, fruits and veggies. I have diabetes, which figures into the mix, too. In general, though, I think that the less processed the food, the better.

In general, though, I think that the less processed the food, the better.

+1

What are sauteed veggies, and why are they bad?

Sauteeing is where the chef grabs the pan and tosses the contents over and over. What the poster meant was that frying vegetables in oil isn't healthy. Personaly I don't think that its the worst thing you could do and it depends greatly on the quality of the oil/fat your using and how hot + for how long you cook them.

Overcooking your vegetables in cheap soy/vegetable oil isn't good although I will gently panfry onions, garlic and mushrooms in virgin coconut oil as a base to dishes all the time.

Regards, Anthony

I think this varies from person to person. I have some pretty well-defined rules about what I eat and what I don't. I don't eat sugar, processed wheat flour, rice, potatoes, etc. I do eat lots of whole grains, fruits and veggies. I have diabetes, which figures into the mix, too. In general, though, I think that the less processed the food, the better.


Me to,i wont eat anybody i dont know. Opps!

Sauteeing is where the chef grabs the pan and tosses the contents over and over. What the poster meant was that frying vegetables in oil isn't healthy. Personaly I don't think that its the worst thing you could do and it depends greatly on the quality of the oil/fat your using and how hot + for how long you cook them.

Overcooking your vegetables in cheap soy/vegetable oil isn't good although I will gently panfry onions, garlic and mushrooms in virgin coconut oil as a base to dishes all the time.

Regards, Anthony
Hmmmm... We panfry veggies all the time, in virgin olive oil. It is a Big Myth that vegetable oil is unhealthy - nothing can be further from the truth. Your body needs veggie oil to break down other stuff eg colesterol. Modern food pyramids contain veg oil. So lightly-sauteed-in-olive-oil veggies are in fact Very Good for you. Just don't use palm oil.

True sauteing means to cook the food in butter. People throw the term around and use it to explain most cooking in a pan. Go to a buffet or get some soul food and take a look at the spinach, collard greens. etc. The stuff is drenched in butter. Now... it's not unhealthy as say donuts. But that's why they're so deadly. People eat a lot of it thinking that's it's good for them. At least with donuts, you know what you're getting into.

True sauteing means to cook the food in butter. People throw the term around and use it to explain most cooking in a pan. Go to a buffet or get some soul food and take a look at the spinach, collard greens. etc. The stuff is drenched in butter. Now... it's not unhealthy as say donuts. But that's why they're so deadly. People eat a lot of it thinking that's it's good for them. At least with donuts, you know what you're getting into.

Hey. If your talking of cooking vegetables in butter I'll be there!

Butter is a healthy animal fat. Very good for you and good for your heart too. See http://www.westonaprice.org

Regards, Anthony

I try to avoid lutefisk, but it's hard to do this time of the year.

Vegetables lightly sauteed in small amounts of butter or olive oil are a) healthy and b) delicious. Sprinkle a bit of freshly grated parmasan cheese on top (not the dried-out stuff in cardboard tubes), add freshly ground black pepper and nice crusty bread and you have a truly magnificent meal.

As for donuts, there's a time and place for everything. Just occasionally there's even a time and place for donuts.

Yeah, like when you're bonking... donuts have never tasted so GOOD !!! :)

I avoid anything my girlfriend cooks. By her own admission, she isn't a great cook. But I'm crazy over her for not giving up. One of these days...

Other than that, it's everything on the menu for me. With the calories I burn in triathlon training, I can't seem to eat enough on some days.

Hey. If your talking of cooking vegetables in butter I'll be there!

Butter is a healthy animal fat. Very good for you and good for your heart too. See http://www.westonaprice.org

Regards, Anthony



If you're talking about saturated fat in butter, I'm not there!

In general, though, I think that the less processed the food, the better.

+2

I've not had fast food in months and don't miss it.
I avoid the high fructose corn syrup, too.
I don't eat white bread.
Many fried foods now disagree with me. If you get out of the habit of eating something, eventually you'll no longer want it.
Potato chips are banned from my house as I have no control; I'll eat the whole bag and then feel like crap the rest of the day. Zapp's Cajun Crawtators are particularly bad at this.
No more Krispy Kreme doughnuts. At the store, you can watch them being made, then floated down the river of grease, through the waterfall of sugar, then up the ramp and into your hands. Squeeze one and the grease oozes out and drips on the floor.

Carbonated sodas can be bad for you; the phosphoric acid can leach calcium from your system. Not sure how many sodas you'd have to drink for this to be a problem, though.

In general, if you are eating as much healthy food as you can, you don't have any room left for the "unhealthy" food. And I believe that was the conclusion of some of the oatmeal studies; the oatmeal filled you up so you didn't eat that sausage patty and biscuits and gravy.

I cook with olive oil and butter.

I eat fresh vegetables, dark leafy greens(iceberg lettuce is crap), and don't overcook them or just eat them raw.

Whole wheat pasta, again, not overcooked.
Lots of oatmeal with raisins and no sugar.
Multi-grain bread with my no-sugar-added peanut butter

I love to cook on my Big Green Egg. Slow cook everything for hours; meat is juicy and so, so tender. Avoids those polyaromatic compounds found in charred meat. Cooked the Thanksgiving turkey on it while we went hiking. 5 hours at 280 degrees until the temp. probe said 180 deg. Delicious.

My dad counted cookies in the cookie jar before he went to work to make sure only a few were gone.

Yeah, like when you're bonking... donuts have never tasted so GOOD !!! :)


My on-the-verge-of-bonking food, yesterday, at mile 40-something of 62 miles, was a Whopper w/cheese sandwich and sweetened ice tea. I should have de-fizzed a cola instead of the tea, though.

Does anyone remember real doughnuts, not the industrially extruded ones from Dunkin D or Krispy K ? They taste quite different and are crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle.

Anything with hydrogenated/trans fat or high fructose corn syrup. I don't think there's any room for consuming these substances, even "in moderation". (That said, nobody's perfect and accidentally consuming a little is better than intentionally consuming a lot.)

I agree! But never skip the chocolate.

Hey. If your talking of cooking vegetables in butter I'll be there!

Butter is a healthy animal fat. Very good for you and good for your heart too. See http://www.westonaprice.org

Regards, Anthony

Mary Enig is probably right. But all you hear in the States about butter is that it's bad for you. Thanks for shedding some light (with a source) on the myths surrounding butter. I had a lot of it for Thanksgiving and I feel butter, er um, better already.

Search this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=search&DB=pubmed and use Enig MG in the search bar.

i'm tired of all this donut-bashing. wake up! they're one of the four major food groups, people! donuts aren't just for breakfast anymore! of course, anyone with any donut experience whatsoever knows that dunkin' donuts are the only true donuts. the above poster is correct; watching the birth of a krispy kreme is enough to have you puking outside in the bushes

Butter is utterly superior for baking. I won't use Crisco, which is basically just a massive tin of trans-fat. Butter results in a much tastier baked item and is almost surely less toxic. Nicer flavor and lighter texture.

Are we talking flavor or fitness here? I've read a lot of people talking about how they would never use overly processed foods in cooking and that butter is just the best thing ever, but have these cooking tactics ended with good results? Are you as fit as you want to be? Because I know I never eat butter, cheese, fried foods, red meat, high fructose corn syrup, white bread, sodas, etc... People call me obsessed, but I am very happy with the results that I've gotten from my exercise program and strict diet. I'm at 9% body fat and 165 lbs, 5'11''. Maybe it's just a matter of thinking about food as fuel, and not as some incredible, almost religious experience you go through 4 times a day. Food is simply that to me, just fuel to get through the day and I can deal with the processed, bland taste of some things if it gives me the results that Im looking for.

My on-the-verge-of-bonking food, yesterday, at mile 40-something of 62 miles, was a Whopper w/cheese sandwich and sweetened ice tea. I should have de-fizzed a cola instead of the tea, though.
Do people really eat cheeseburgers and sodas on long rides like that? I had no clue that this is normal.....?

Yeah, on my longest rides, I'll take in a full veggie pizza, monster 2-lb bean/cheese burrito, couple of fish-tacos, 6-8 bananas, 6-8 dinner-rolls with jam, etc. :) It does take a while to digest, so if you're on the verge of bonking, you need quick energy, high-GI as possible, so a soda's perfect for that! The higher ratio of fructose in HFCS actually diffuses passively and quickly through the intestinal walls instead of requiring an active-exchange of a sodium ion like a glucose molecule.

I don't think there's any food that's outright harmful, just not as nutritious as something else. Some grilled salmon & veggies on dirty-rice might not be as tastey as some deep-fried pork sig-sig, but it'll be better for you in the long run. The only things that you should absolutely avoid are poisons like arsenic, otherwise moderate and balance your diet. :)