“Athletic performance is an exciting area of research opportunities for many food products, like potatoes, especially here in our country, where we are so dependent on rice when it comes to carbohydrate source,” said Filipino nutrition coach Jeaneth Aro at an event hosted recently by Potatoes USA in the Philippines.
The event opened with a workshop on potato nutrition and culminated with a food-tasting activity led by celebrity chef Sau del Rosario. Potatoes USA also introduced four potato dishes designed to support the energy and nutritional needs of athletes in training.
Tacos de papas, turkey potato diner wraps, Mediterranean lemon chicken and potatoes, and mexi-potato breakfast tostada were the four featured dishes. These original recipes were created by Potatoes USA and diet delivery service provider Diet Diva.
“These alternative meals are easy to prepare, appetizing and reasonably priced, making them accessible for athletes from the high school level to those in the professional leagues,” said Reji Retugal-Onal, Potatoes USA representative in the Philippines.
Since athletes undergo intense training, a high-performance diet is vital to give them the energy they need throughout their activities.
“The thing is, when people think of high-performance diet, what comes to their minds first is high-protein diet,” said Aro. “But actually, what athletes should be eating is a high-carbohydrate diet, because carbs will fuel the muscles and, consequently, optimize their sports performance.”
In this regard, Aro explained the importance of potato nutrition for athletes: “When I was coaching Gilas Pilipinas and Barako Bulls [professional basketball teams], I recommended potatoes not only for their personalized meal plans, but also as an option for their recovery meals. Recovery meals are very important to help them recuperate from training.”
According to Aro, even though potatoes have a high starch content, they are also high in resistant starch. Resistant starch is the kind of starch that goes partially undigested from our stomachs all the way to our large intestines, which allows sustained energy release.
Aro added that potatoes are naturally gluten-free and contain high nutrient density. Nutrient-dense foods are crucial for athletes because they provide energy, support tissue growth, and repair and regulate metabolism. Research also indicates that potatoes are the most satiating food available compared to other carbohydrate- and protein-rich food.
More significantly, potatoes are important for peri-workout fueling. As defined by Aro, peri-workout fueling refers to eating and drinking strategies around the period of exercise, or one’s pre- and post-workout nutrition.
Pre-exercise nutrition is important because it helps prevent low blood sugar. It also fuels an athlete’s muscles, making them sustain an activity for a longer period of time. On the other hand, post-workout nutrition helps replenish muscle-carbohydrate source.
“The carbohydrates in your muscles are utilized first before you exercise and, definitely, it drains first, and that is the importance of pre-workout nutrition: it replenishes what has been used up,” Aro explained. Not only that, post-workout nutrition enhances overall training adaptation.
“So, what are the characteristics of the food items that you should be consuming for your peri-workout fuel?” said Aro. “It should be high in carbohydrates and have moderate protein content, and it should be low in fat. Potatoes exhibit these characteristics.”
In terms of carbohydrate content, potatoes are very high in complex carbohydrates, from which athletes can benefit because of their energy-sustaining properties. With potatoes, one will get protein that is highly digestible and absorbable, comparaed to eating eggs. It was pointed out that potatoes are also naturally fat- and cholesterol-free and that they contain more potassium than bananas.
“Potato nutrition has always been stressed by Potatoes USA but, historically, the campaigns have been ‘permissive’—giving consumers permission to eat potatoes,” said Sarah Reece, Potatoes USA global marketing manager. “We really want potatoes to be prescriptive, highlighting how potatoes can support athletic performance.”
Source: Business Mirror