"The Answers" From US Olympian Garrett Weber-Gale

The Answers

By Garrett Weber-Gale

Olympic Gold Medalist

In my last column, I asked you to send me questions about food, nutrition, and cooking. You responded and provided me with great questions.

One thing that is important to remember is that not only can you get your questions answered here or by emailing me at garrett@gwgswims.com, but you should also feel free to actively seek out the information yourself. Search the Internet, read books, see a nutritionist, talk to a chef, experiment with your own body and training.

However, make sure you don’t take only one person’s advice for the complete truth and/or the end-all-be-all – not even mine. We must look at our questions from all angles and see all sides of the answers. Became a hard sell and seek out the best information. By doing this, you will not only gain great insight, but also improve your skills at finding the right answers to your questions in any avenue in life.

Q: “What is the best thing to eat before I go to sleep at night?” -Christine

A: I’ve asked my nutritionist this exact question. For years, I was stumped on what to eat in order to help fuel myself for the next day and help my body recover. Here’s the deal – our bodies won’t digest protein through the night but will store that substance as fat, and we don’t want that. Therefore, we want to have foods with high carbohydrate content at night. Our digestive system is able to slowly break down these carbs over the course of the night and provide us with great fuel. Remember, go for the complex carbs. They take longer to break down and will give us longer-lasting energy (ex. whole grains/wheat, brown rice, oats, beams, yams, and my personal favorite bedtime snack – whole grain cereals!)

Q: “How much red meat should I be eating per week?”

-Ron

A: Experts will probably all answer this question a little bit differently. I am not an expert, but have consulted with them extensively on nutrition and diet. I’ve been told to eat red meat three or so times per week. Red meat is a great source of iron, vitamin B12 and zinc, which will all help keep our immune systems strong as well as keep us energized. B12 helps with the production of red blood cells, which are essential in keeping aerobic capacity up. Make sure to eat red meat in moderation. It is generally higher in fat that some other proteins and contains somewhat high levels of cholesterol. Go for LEAN cuts.

Q: “Are there specific vegetables that I should be eating?”

-Tommy

A: This is where you really need to follow your taste buds and go for variety where possible. We all have those vegetables that we really dislike, so don’t eat them. There are hundreds of different veggies we could be eating. Finds the ones you like and eat them – LOTS of them. Each vegetable has a bit of a different health impact (ex. broccoli is high in Vitamin C; carrots are high in vitamin A; kale is high in vitamin K; broccoli is a good source of dietary fiber), so it is very important tat we eat many different veggies. Remember, vibrant colors mean high nutrient values.

For more information you can always email me with any further questions at garrett@gwgswims.com, and I will personally get back to you. I also love getting comments on my blog at www.garrettwebergale.blogspot.com. Meanwhile, get out there and eat the good stuff!