Why Older Athletes Need to Eat Fat

From the Competitor Network.

"If you haven’t experienced diminished performance, the need for more recovery between hard efforts, or the frustration of just not feeling strong despite consistent training, then you likely will—you’re just not old enough yet. Very few people can continue to excel at their chosen sport(s) as they age unless they make adaptations to account for their body’s natural degeneration. In addition to tweaking training plans to include more strength and flexibility work and adequate rest, athletes should pay particular attention to their diet, especially the type of fat they consume. You’ve surely heard about the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, but are you paying attention?

A recent study published in the American Society for Nutrition reported that when a group of 16 healthy older adults were given either corn oil or omega-3 fatty acids for eight weeks, the group who consumed the omega-3s saw increases in muscle formation. Study authors advocate the consumption of omega-3s for the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia, or age-related loss of muscle.

Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats that the body cannot produce on its own. Omega-6s reportedly lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, reduce inflammation and protect against heart disease; safflower, corn, cottonseed and soybean oils contain omega-6s. Studies also reveal that omega-3s may prevent heart disease and stroke, but what makes them even more vital to life is that they assist with normal body functions like controlling blood clotting and building brain cells. Excellent sources of omega-3s include fatty fish like salmon, canola and soybean oil, flaxseed, walnuts and green vegetables like Brussels sprouts, kale and spinach.

Dr. Frank Sacks, professor of cardiovascular disease and prevention at the Harvard School of Public Health recommends that everyone eat at least one rich source of omega-3 fatty acids every day. Every day. Getting your daily dose of omegas is absolutely achievable with a little bit of planning. Here are some tips:

1. Make your own vinaigrettes to drizzle over salad (including spinach and kale) greens using safflower, canola, soybean, flaxseed or cottonseed oil. *See note below about storage and usage.

2. Buy bags of walnuts and store them in the freezer (to prevent spoilage). Sprinkle over salads, oatmeal or cereal. Use them in place of other nuts in pesto, pastas, rice pilafs, trail mix and granola.

3. While fresh, local, organic, wild-caught salmon and other fish may be preferable, it’s not always the most budget-friendly option. Try to buy this type of fresh fish when you can, but there are instances where canned boneless, skinless wild salmon may be a good solution for use in casseroles, pastas, salads, wraps and burritos.

4. Buy a jar of ground flaxseed (refrigerate after opening) and sprinkle it over cereal, yogurt and oatmeal. Include it in baked goods like breads, muffins, granola bars and even cookies—it has a nutty, toasted flavor.

*Omega fatty acids aren’t destroyed by high-heat cooking as long as they’re fresh. Oil can spoil, particularly more delicate nut oils—you can store these in the refrigerator after opening to extend their shelf life; they’ll congeal while inside the cool fridge, but just let them warm up on the counter for a bit before using. Follow the “best by” date on bottles and store less delicate oils in a dark, cool pantry."

May I be so bold as to include chia seeds to the list? You can use it like the flax seeds above, or you can get creative--sprinkle it around on your lawn's bald spots like grass seed, and harvest the sprouts as they form. If you have no lawn, a small pot, tray, or soil bag will do as an alternative planting place.

Sprouts in general have higher Omega-3 levels than their adult vegetation counterparts. The younger you can harvest your greens, the higher the concentration of all nutrients.

I see macadamia oil also didn't make it to the list. Neither did the high-oleic types of safflower and sunflower oils (you have to read the labels closely to find these).

From the bottles I have here at the house: Kroger makes a sunflower oil that has 9 grams of mono oils and 4 grams of poly oils, while Hain makes a safflower oil with 10 grams of mono oils and 2 grams of poly oils. It's been my experience that Hain can be tricky--you literally HAVE to read the labels with the bottle in your hand, because Hain also makes a safflower oil that has the reverse characteristics: high poly oils and low mono oils. Their website makes a point of NOT providing nutritional label info for you to look at before you order, so when I see it on the health food store shelves, and it's the real thing, I get it. If not, I go to the Kroger alternative, which can be found on the top shelf of their cooking oil section.

You have to look for the words "high oleic" as your starting point. then you need to flip the bottle over and find out WHICH oleics and HOW HIGH.

Both these oils are suitable for frying, and that's why I have them here at the house. Macadamia oil is also suitable for frying.