Preparation for UTTN, by Guillaume Klein

Soon you will embark on your new sporting season, by participating in one of the events of theUltra Trail Tour Nancy June 4 and 5, 2022.

Step 1

In the same way as training, nutrition is a fundamental point of the performance pyramid, and it is above all the daily food base that will allow the body to be better prepared, especially for long endurance events. .

Here are the 10 tips for a healthy and healthy diet:

Goals :

• Regulate energy and satiety.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Have a strong and resilient immune system.

A basic rule:

Eat raw, unprocessed products, mostly from organic and local agriculture.

"Taking care of your diet is daily and in the long term, it's not a diet but a healthy and healthy lifestyle"

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Tip #1

Bring varied vegetables in large quantities and fruits in reasonable quantities, in order to fill up with vitamins, minerals, trace elements, antioxidants, fibers.

At each meal :

• Varied seasonal vegetables (cabbage, green beans, Swiss chard, broccoli, spinach, fennel, etc.), seasonal salad and raw vegetables (carrot, zucchini, cucumber, celery, beetroot, radish, endive, etc.), fresh products, avoiding canned foods, while favoring gentle steaming.
• Fresh seasonal fruits in suitable quantities at the rate of 3 to 5 per day depending on physical activity, avoiding fruit juices.

Tip #2

Consume quality carbohydrates in adequate quantities to ensure glycemic balance, and mainly around physical activity.

Preferred carbohydrates:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Dried fruits (apricots, figs, prunes ...).
• Tubers (sweet potato, Jerusalem artichoke, parsnip ...).
• Squash (pumpkin, butternut, pumpkin ...).
• Whole or semi-whole grains and similar (whole rice, basmati rice, wild rice, quinoa, buckwheat, millet, oat flakes, etc.).
• Wholemeal bread (sourdough, integral, multi-grain, seeds, etc.).

Carbohydrates to avoid:

• Refined cereals (white rice, pasta, white bread, etc.).
• White sugar.
• Fruit juices, sodas, energy drinks…
• Cakes, cookies, pastries, pastries…
• Dessert yogurt, dessert cream, ice cream ...
• Puffed breakfast cereal.
• Industrial spread.
• Chips, aperitif cakes…
• Chocolate bars…

Tip #3

Ensure a sufficient intake of varied quality proteins to maintain muscle mass, while adding a greater proportion of vegetable proteins.

• Animal proteins: meat, fish, seafood, eggs, dairy products.
• Vegetable proteins: cereals and similar, legumes, algae, oilseeds, nuts, seeds, fruits, dried fruits, mushrooms, etc.

“Limit the consumption of red meat, dairy products, and avoid deli meats”

Tip #4

Add omega 3 essential fatty acids to optimize the overall functioning of the body (vegetable seasoning oils such as rapeseed, walnuts, camelina, flax, hemp, etc.; walnuts, flax seeds, hemp, chia, etc.; oily fish such as sardines, mackerel, salmon…).

Every day :

• Minimum 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra virgin omega 3 oil (rapeseed, flax, walnuts, camelina…) from a first raw cold pressing, seasoning on food.
• 1 to 2 teaspoons of seeds (ground flax, hemp, chia, etc.) per meal.
• At least 30 to 60g of a mixture of nuts and almonds.

2 to 3 times a week:

• Oily, fresh or canned fish preferably in glass jars, favoring sardines, mackerel, anchovies containing less heavy metals than salmon or tuna.

To limit:

• Fatty meats (cold meats, fatty beef, pork, mutton, lamb…).
• Dairy and industrial fats (butter, margarine, fatty cheese, cream, etc.).
• Processed products (ready meals, industrial pizzas, crisps, cakes, cookies, pastries, pastries, spreads, etc.).

Tip #5

Avoid excess dairy products which can cause inflammatory reactions in the intestine.

"Prefer quality goat or sheep dairy products"

Tip #6

Promote the consumption of gluten-free cereals and similar products (rice, quinoa, millet, amaranth, gluten-free oats, buckwheat, teff, fonio, sorghum, etc.) while limiting foods containing gluten.

“Gluten (wheat, spelled, small spelled, kamut, barley, rye, oats, etc.) is found in many food preparations: bread, pasta, cakes, pastries, pizzas, prepared meals, beer, sauces, dessert cream, chicory, etc. »

Tip #7

Stock up on dietary probiotics and prebiotics, to ensure a supply of good bacteria to the level of the intestinal microbiota and strengthen immunity.

• Lactofermented vegetables, lactofermented cheeses and yoghurts, olives, gherkins, brewer's yeast, miso soup, sourdough bread, onion, garlic, shallot, leek, kefir, kombucha...

Tip #8

Sufficiently chew the food bolus, take the time for the meal in a calm environment.

Tip #9

Leave phases of digestive rest by avoiding regular food intake and snacking.

Tip #10

Ensure good hydration throughout the day with low mineral content water (low dry residue at 180°C) and around exercise with water richer in minerals.

Step 2

How to best manage your nutrition during a long endurance effort?

Goals :

• Optimizing the functioning of the organization
• Promote digestive comfort during exercise

An individual strategy:

It is essential to give the right fuel to your body, because just like a car is the essence of our engine.
There are some common rules for getting the most out of nutrition during long endurance exercise, however each person has their own way of working.

Factors to take into consideration to modulate the organization and composition of food:

• The type and level of intensity of the sport activity
• Individual digestive tolerance and sensitivity
• Feelings, tastes and desires

A rule to follow when choosing energy intake:

• Healthy products with the simplest and most natural ingredients possible

The different energy substrates:

• Energy bar
  • Adapted to long efforts, it is assimilated more slowly by the body, and can contain an interesting amount of proteins, vitamins and minerals.
  • Consume products that contain natural ingredients, with unrefined sugars with a moderate glycemic index, a supply of proteins, fatty acids, but also vitamins and minerals.
• Energy gel
  • Very concentrated in carbohydrates with a high glycemic index, it is assimilated quickly by the body, but over a long effort it is rather a drawback.
  • Indeed, it can lead to blood sugar spikes, it provides only very few vitamins and minerals, and often causes digestive disorders by its acidity.
  • It is more suitable for a short test which requires a supply of sugars available more quickly, however it can be used on an ad hoc basis over a long effort in the event of a large drop in energy or at the end of the test.
  • To be properly assimilated, the energy gel must be absorbed with water.
• Exercise drink
  • It must be isotonic, that is to say with the same concentration as the blood to allow better absorption, avoid digestive disorders and dehydration.
  • It must contain quality carbohydrates to allow a regular and progressive supply of sugars to the body.
  • A reasonable amount of unrefined sugars per serving, about 30g to 40g of carbohydrates per 500ml is more than enough.
  • Vitamins and minerals to optimize hydration and the use of carbohydrates, muscle function, fight against the acidity of the body, and compensate for losses from sweat.
• Race and staff supplies
  • The race and personal supplies will help cut the monotony of gels, bars and energy drinks.
  • It is recommended over long efforts to consume salty foods and various preparations, to provide a "meal snack" and to provide the body with different contributions of proteins, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and essential fatty acids. (sandwich, mashed sweet potato, rice, fruit, dark chocolate, nuts, dried fruit, etc.).
• Proteins and BCAAs
  • The BCAA intake becomes interesting to add during a prolonged effort, in order to compensate for the lack of protein consumption, for a role of easily assimilated food compensation.
  • This supply of branched amino acids grouping together Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine, complements the protein intake ingested via food during exercise.
  • In athletes wishing to optimize their endurance capacities, they will help save carbohydrate reserves, delay muscle and central nervous system fatigue.
  • A minimum intake of 1g per hour of effort of BCAA 2.1.1 (50% Leucine + 25% Isoleucine + 25% Valine).

In practice, how to organize your energy strategy?

• A range being around an intake of 30 to 90g of carbohydrates per hour (exercise drink + food intake) depending on needs, individual tolerance, intensity and nature of the effort.
• Use energy products with sugars with a low to moderate glycemic index to avoid blood sugar spikes and ensure progressive energy.
  Preferably an energy bar richer in proteins and essential fatty acids, and less rich in carbohydrates.
• A regular frequency in food intake (approximately every 20 to 30 minutes) to ensure the regulation of the sugar level.
• At the end of the effort, possibility of consuming carbohydrates with a higher glycemic index and easily assimilated, on the one hand in order to cope with the depletion of the stock of glycogen, to maintain a state of alertness, concentration and performance until the end of the effort, on the other hand to minimize the digestive work of the organism.
  Indeed, during exercise, digestion is slowed down to optimize muscle and heart function.
• Regularly vary your energy intake with salty foods and homemade preparations to cut through the monotony of gels, bars, and energy drinks.
• Ensure good hydration throughout the effort to compensate for losses related to sweating, and facilitate the assimilation of ingested carbohydrates.
  Mix water and energy drink in frequent small sips at a rate of 300 to 500ml every hour depending on climatic conditions and individual needs.

For an average intake of around 60g of carbohydrates per hour of effort:

• 1 energy bar + energy drink dosed at 40g of carbohydrates
• The ¾ of a banana + energy drink dosed at 40g of carbohydrates
• 1 energy gel 20g + energy drink dosed at 40g of carbohydrates
• 30g of dates + energy drink dosed with 40g of carbohydrates

 Beware of too much carbohydrate intake:

The whole food consumed must remain within a certain standard (from 30 to 90g of carbohydrates per hour of effort), so as not to overload the body with too much carbohydrate intake, which would not be assimilated by the body , causing gastric problems or dehydration.

 Test in training:

It is important to get the intestine used to receiving food intake during exercise, to test its digestive tolerance, and the amount of energy needed to fully optimize performance factors.

CONCLUSION

These explanations make it possible to give a generalist framework to set up at the level of its energy contributions during a long endurance effort.
However, it is necessary to individualize it in a specific way to each person's mode of operation, in order to benefit from beneficial effects on energy efficiency and digestive comfort.

Step 3

How to manage the last week before the competition?

 

Goals :

• Capitalize the storage of energy in the form of glycogen (stock of sugars in the body)
• Promote digestive comfort and avoid gastric problems during exercise

Example of a pre-competition protocol:

 

 

1. Reduce daily carbohydrate intake (rice, pasta, quinoa, semolina, potato, sweet potato, bread, oatmeal, etc.) by 1/3 over the first 3 days of the week preceding the competition.
2. Perform a short training on an empty stomach on D-3, in order to take advantage of the metabolic window after exercise, by having a breakfast richer in carbohydrates, allowing the phase of carbohydrate overcompensation to begin and to better promote the reconstitution of the new one. glycogen stock.
3. Increase carbohydrate intake (rice, pasta, quinoa, semolina, potato, sweet potato, bread, oatmeal, etc.) daily by 1/3 on D-3 and D-2.
4. Over the last 3 days, reduce or eliminate according to individual sensitivity: foods rich in fiber (certain vegetables and fruits, certain raw vegetables, whole grains, wholemeal bread, legumes, etc.); poor quality fats; spicy dishes; the alcohol ; coffee for its stimulating and diuretic effect; foods rich in wheat gluten (bread, pasta, cakes, pastries, pizzas, ready meals, beer, sauces, dessert cream, chicory, etc.) while favoring the consumption of gluten-free cereals and similar products (rice, quinoa, millet, amaranth , gluten-free oats, buckwheat, teff, fonio, sorghum, etc.).
5. On D-1 do not overload the body, the reserves are made, it is enough to maintain a reasonable and usual food consumption, in order to avoid an important work on the level of the digestive system.
6. Throughout the week, ensure that you have sufficient hydration to promote the storage of sugar, but also the proper circulation and transport of all
   substances necessary for the proper functioning of the body (vitamins, minerals, trace elements, nutrients, etc.).
   Also ensure an adequate intake of proteins, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and trace elements throughout the week.

Conclusion

This protocol makes it possible to provide a general framework to be implemented in terms of food during the week preceding the competition.

However, it is necessary to individualize it, in order to adapt it specifically to the mode of operation of each, but also according to the time of departure, the nature and the intensity of the event.

Step 4

The final step is how not to make mistakes on the pre-race breakfast?

“Energy and Digestion Goal”

The start of the competitions is generally in the morning, so breakfast will be the last meal.

The purpose of this breakfast will be to provide fuel to the body to ensure the maintenance of energy reserves, while promoting digestive comfort during exercise.

The reservations are made, it is preferable to avoid overloading yourself on this last food intake.

 

 The rules to follow:

→ The timing of the take

The food intake must be done at least 1h30 to 2h before the start of the event, to best respect the digestion time.

• On the one hand to guard against possible gastric discomfort.
• On the other hand, so that the blood is used for muscle function and not for the digestive organs when starting the race.

→ Foods to avoid

• Products rich in fiber (certain raw fruits, whole grains, wholemeal bread, etc.) especially for people with intestinal sensitivity.
• An excess of fats, proteins of animal origin, dairy products, which will require for some of them a longer digestion time, and can cause digestive disorders.
• Foods rich in wheat gluten and industrial preparations (bread, cakes, pastries, pastries, etc.), in order to limit potential inflammation in the intestine.

→ Foods to favor

• Products rich in vitamins and minerals to prevent stress-related losses.
• Quality carbohydrates with a low to moderate glycemic index in reasonable quantities, to avoid insulin spikes and control blood sugar levels.
• Quality proteins and fats in appropriate quantities, and mainly vegetable to facilitate digestion.

→ Test upstream

During the training phases, it is essential to test and validate your nutritional strategy to be implemented during this last meal.

 An example of a pre-race “Muesli” breakfast:

Prepare and mix all the ingredients in a bowl.

• 50g gluten-free rolled oats.
• A sliced ​​ripe banana.
• 30g of a mixture of oilseeds (walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts).
• 30g of raisins.
• 20g of organic hemp vegetable protein.
• 1 plain soy yogurt with no added sugar.
• 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder without added sugar.
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.

The quantities are to be individualized according to the profile and the personal needs of each one.

To accompany this last meal, a hot drink such as an infusion or tea is preferable to coffee, which can cause digestive problems in some people.

 Extra information :

Between the end of breakfast and the start of the event, the consumption of a waiting ration is not necessary, it will suffice to hydrate well with water.

On the other hand, the stress factor can lead to a disturbance in blood sugar.

For people who are prone to it, it is possible to use a waiting drink enriched with quality maltodextrin, which has a low dextrose equivalent (example: cassava maltodextrin), and/or to carry out a light intake of digestible carbohydrates (example: fruit puree without added sugar) about 30 minutes before departure.

CONCLUSION

These explanations make it possible to provide a general framework to be put in place at the nutritional level on the pre-race breakfast.

However, it is necessary to individualize it, in order to adapt it specifically to the mode of operation of each, but also according to the time of departure, the nature and the intensity of the event.

A healthy and sporty snack

A food intake that is an integral part of the organization and structure of all the meals of the day.

Goals :

 Distribute daily caloric intake.
 Have a suitable energy ration before or after training.
 Avoid possible cravings, snacking, and sweet cravings.

As for the other meals, this food ration must be nutritionally balanced, in order to have a progressive energy intake while promoting digestive comfort.

In practice :

 A portion of fresh seasonal fruit and/or dried fruit to fill up with vitamins, minerals, trace elements, antioxidants, and balance the body's acidity. About 30g of a mixture of oilseeds (walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, etc.) to provide quality proteins and fats, to optimize the overall functioning of the body and regulate satiety.
2 squares of dark chocolate at 70% minimum to enjoy a natural stimulant, and a magnesium and antioxidant intake.

During this snack, avoid as much as possible the consumption of high glycemic index and processed products (chocolate bars, cakes, pastries, fruit juices, sodas, energy drinks, etc.).

CONCLUSION

These explanations make it possible to give a generalist framework to be put in place at the nutritional level on the taking of a healthy and sporting snack.
However, it is necessary to individualize it, in order to adapt it specifically to the mode of operation of each one.

This content was published by our Ambassador Guillaume Klein (Personal Coach Expert in sports nutrition and health / Ultra endurance specialist)

• Nutriformation graduate specializing in micronutrition and nutritherapy
• Trained in sports nutrition by the Evonutri Positive Nutrition Academy
• Ultra Trail coach trained by the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Athletics League
• Dietitian nutritionist FC Metz professional group (since 2018)
• Dietitian nutritionist FC Metz training center (since 2019)
• Creator of the EPIC® method

Passionate about sport, and ultra endurance athlete in running and ultra cycling, Guillaume was able to test on himself the benefits of a natural nutritional balance, appropriate to his real needs, and of a specific adapted training. Guillaume appreciates quality products which respect the nutritional needs of the athlete, but also from a health point of view, a composition as natural as possible.

You too can take advantage of his advice and find all our products on this site

If you would like more information or advice, do not hesitate to contact guillaume via his site www.naturenergy.live.