HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

Number 5 2008 (rev'd)

For Up-to-Date Information on the various types of Sugars in Healthy Eating

Fuel Your Activity

Many elite athletes follow strict nutrition programs to guarantee their best performance. But what about the rest of us – the house league hockey player, the Sunday hiker, or the after-work runner? For all recreational athletes, good nutrition plays an important role in helping us improve our performance and in meeting the added energy demands of physical activity.

Filling your fuel tank

For recreational athletes, getting the right amount of carbohydrate means following Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide. This means enjoying a variety of foods every day, emphasizing vegetables and fruit, grain products, lower fat milk products, and leaner meats. Of course, it is always important to drink plenty of fluids, especially water, to avoid becoming dehydrated.

The best way to make sure you have plenty of energy for all your physical activity is to eat a nutritious, well-balanced diet, not just when you exercise, but every day!

Digesting carbohydrates

Mouth

• Receives carbohydrate in the form of sugars and starches.
• Starches begin to break down using saliva.
• Swallowed food goes down esophagus into the stomach.

Stomach

• Chewed carbohydrate is mixed with stomach juices.
• Empties into small intestine, where the nutrients become available to the body.

Small Intestine

• Enzymes complete the breakdown of starches into sugars.
• Sugars (glucose, fructose) are absorbed into the bloodstream and used for energy or transported to the liver.
• Waste moves to large intestine.

Liver

• Receives sugars.
• Sugars may be used to provide immediate energy.
• Sugars may be stored for future use:
  1) usually as glycogen, in liver or muscle;
  2) sometimes as fat, as a secondary fuel source.

Large Intestine

• Receives waste.
• Absorbs water and minerals.
• Excretes waste.

Carbohydrate-rich, lower fat snack ideas*

*Each snack idea listed has more than 10 grams of carbohydrate per serving and less than 3 grams of fat per serving.
Source: Canadian Nutrient File, 2007, Health Canada.

Nutrition Focus

Sports drinks are popular these days, even among children. But are they worth the money? If your workout is less than an hour, water is still the best fluid. But if you exercise longer that that, or on days that are particularly hot or humid, you may benefit from using a sports drink, whether you buy it or make it yourself (see Consumer smarts section for recipe).

As well as replacing fluids, sports drinks supply you with energy from carbohydrate (usually sugars). They can also help replace minerals, such as sodium, that you lose through sweat during your workout. Remember to drink plenty of fluids throughout your activity. Don’t wait until you are thirsty – when you are active, your body needs fluids before you feel thirsty.

Check out the chart below for a comparison of a variety of sports drinks.

Nutrient Content of Sample Sports Drinks (per 250 mL/cup)

Source: Canadian Nutrient File, 2007, Health Canada.
*Range for four brands and several flavours of sports drinks available in the Toronto-area, 2008.
** Made from the recipe below with orange juice.

Consumer Smarts

There are a lot of different sports drinks on the market, but you can make your own inexpensive homemade sports drink by mixing:

125 mL (1/2 c) orange juice (or other sugar-containing beverage)
125 mL (1/2 c) water
0.25 mL (pinch) salt

This homemade drink will provide you with 59 Calories, 14 grams of carbohydrates and 118 mg of sodium per 250 mL/1 cup serving.

Mini-Quiz

Good nutrition can plays an important role in your physical performance. Test your nutrition knowhow with the following quiz (check the bottom right corner for answers):

1. Sugars and starches provide calories Select one A. water B. nine C. starches D. enzymes E. four F. glycogen G. glucose per gram.
    
2. The only form of carbohydrate used directly by the muscles for energy. Select one A. water B. nine C. starches D. enzymes E. four F. glycogen G. glucose
    
3. Fat has calories Select one A. water B. nine C. starches D. enzymes E. four F. glycogen G. glucose per gram
    
4. The nutrient that needs to be replenished most often during activity. Select one A. water B. nine C. starches D. enzymes E. four F. glycogen G. glucose
    
5. Glucose is stored in the liver and muscles in this form. Select one A. water B. nine C. starches D. enzymes E. four F. glycogen G. glucose
    
6. Breaks down carbohydrates during digestion. Select one A. water B. nine C. starches D. enzymes E. four F. glycogen G. glucose
    
7. Breads and cereals are good souces of this type of carbohydrate. Select one A. water B. nine C. starches D. enzymes E. four F. glycogen G. glucose
    

Answers

This fact sheet, developed with the collaboration of Registered Dietitians, is published by the Canadian Sugar Institute. If you have any questions about sugars and their relation to nutrition and health, feel free to contact, either by email, fax or by mail:

Canadian Sugar Institute
c/o Nutrition Information Service
10 Bay Street, Suite 620
Toronto, Ontario M5J 2R8
Fax: (416) 368-6426

Answers:

1-E, 2-G, 3-B, 4-A, 5-F, 6-D, 7-C

Back to top »