Friday Drop: Q&A
Community chat!
Kitchen is closed.
Hi friends. See below for the current state of my house.
This is bad news bears for being able to test recipes for the Drop today. Instead, comments are open for Q&A!
Q&A
Anything goes. You are welcome to ask for meal and snack support based on your busy schedule, supplement questions, general nutrition questions, injury questions. You can even throw life questions in. I used to want to be an advice columnist when I grew up, so that would be fun!
In the meantime to give you something to digest, here are a few questions I received from The Injured Athlete’s Club facebook group last week:
“Qn: krill oil tablets (2000mg) and collagen. I take both regularly- am I just flushing $$ away?”
Omega 3's are a fantastic supplement that I recommend to most people! We tend to not get enough in our diet and there is quality evidence behind omegas and brain, heart, muscle, and anti-inflammatory support. You want the majority of your omega supplement to include at least 500mg of DHA and EPA. ALA is great too, but may not have the same benefits as the other two.
For collagen ... you might be throwing your money away. The research is split 50/50 whether it's doing anything or not. Collagen may be beneficial in rehabbing a tendon/ligament injury or decreasing tendonitis pain when at least 15g are taken 30-60 minutes before exercise or rehab. Otherwise, collagen is a protein that isn't very good at stimulating muscle, so it's not something I'd recommend as a post-workout or general supplement to increase protein intake. Go for whey for that one. And collagen gummies are definitely flushing $$!
“What are the best nutrients/supplements for tendon repair?”
Bottom of the pyramid will always be adequate energy, carbs, protein, etc. This is 99% of the puzzle and 99% of what I spend my time helping people with. Any rehab will also need micronutrients like magnesium, zinc, vitamin C, vitamin D, but with the exception of vitamin D, most of us do not need to supplement any of those. Too much zinc can actually inhibit tendon formation! Collagen might be helpful - look to take at least 15g 30-60 minutes before your workout or rehab. Things that support muscle can be helpful, like creatine. And general antioxidants can be helpful, like a fish oil or tart cherry.
“My daughter has had hip surgery (shaved the femoral bone, repaired labrum, augmented the labrum. On crutches for 6 weeks. Her prob is that she has no appetite. Any suggestions for healthy tempting meals?”
Yes super common! If ANYTHING sounds appetizing to her right now, that is better than nothing. Also small bites/snacks every 1-2 hours will help stimulate her appetite to come back. Room temp or cold food is typically better. Bland food, too. Think things like cereal, crackers, toast, pb and j, etc. Don't be scared to drink some nutrition: smoothies, milk, drinkable yogurts. Sometimes a bit of a mindset shift that can be helpful is that getting nutrition in her body is step number one to getting back on the field. Can she make a challenge or a game out of it? Can she bring some joy back into eating instead of it feeling forced? Like going out to ice cream with friends or getting to listen to her favorite music during dinner, etc.
“Do creatine monohydrate gummies help at all with recovery in between workouts? I tried the powder but don't like the texture.”
When I think of recovery, I think of renewing energy stores and supporting muscle, so the two biggest factors will be getting adequate carbs and protein in. Creatine can be helpful on top of that as long as you're getting a 5g dose. I haven't seen any reason that gummies would be less impactful when the dosing is there. Some other ways to try powder if mixing it in fluid isn't your thing is adding it to yogurt or pudding!
“I’ve struggled with bone stress injuries (and lots of endless soft tissue injuries too) since I started running 7 years ago. I’ve basically been constantly injured once my underfuelling caught up with me. My bone density is in the osteopenic range and I’m 45 yrs. I’ve recently had my latest tibia stress injury which is taking time to heal. My question is… if I get on top of my nutrition properly (I spent many years undereating but have gradually gained weight back) can I hope for an injury-free period of running or will my bones not really allow it anymore considering my age? Is there any hope for me?!”
The timeline on underfueling to hormonal rebalance to bone health is different for everyone. There is some research that tells us that even when energy status is regained (both from consistent fueling and in stores), it can be a year before hormonal status is fully returned to "normal" and may even be beyond that when we see bone status improve. It's common (and super frustrating!) for stress fracture athletes to regain their period and consistently fuel adequately but still have a second or third stress fracture because bones just haven't caught up yet. So I will say, yes I have so much hope for you. An injury-free period of running may also be a combination of fueling and really smart work load management! I'm sure you've also already spoken with your doc(s) about medication to support your bones, so that gives me hope too! I will also say if you feel your bones are taking longer than anticipated to heal, consider meeting with a sports dietitian to ensure you're not only getting that calories you need, but the nutrients (or supplements) to support bone health! A common mistake I see is athletes supplementing with 1000mg calcium, but not knowing that that dose needs to be split in half and taken as 500mg 2x/day for better absorption. A dietitian well-versed in underfueling or REDs can also take a look at your bloodwork and understand signs of underfueling that docs may have missed. Its common to see high cholesterol in underfueled athletes, and then a doc will turn around and tell them to limit fat! That's not the issue! Anyways, long story short, of course I have hope for you!!
