What do you recommend to readers to ensure that they have enough energy for an afternoon workout?
A: Have a small meal or snack a couple of hours before exercising. This will keep your energy levels up and prevent you from getting too hungry. It’s also very important to stay well hydrated during the day.

What are good snack suggestions?
A: Try a small bowl of whole grain cereal with milk and berries; or half a whole grain pita with almond butter and a glass of fortified soy beverage; or a banana with some yogourt. The keys are healthy carbs, a little protein and not too much fat.

What can be done to build muscle mass? Will protein supplements help?
A: To build muscle you need a safe, well-designed resistance training program, adequate recovery time and enough food from all four food groups. When you train you usually require more energy, so eat often, at least three meals and three snacks a day. Generally speaking a meal should include foods from three of the four food groups and a healthy snack should include food choices from two of the four food groups. Don’t forget about recovery snacks – a combination of carbs and protein right after your workout can help muscle growth. Healthy recovery snack suggestions: a turkey sandwich and a glass of milk; or blend frozen fruit with milk, yogourt or tofu for a smoothie; or have some low-fat cheese and whole grain crackers. Protein powders may be convenient but are no better than protein-rich foods for building muscle. To answer your specific sports nutrition questions, contact a registered dietitian by visiting www.dietitians.ca/find.


How do I keep my energy up when doing extensive physical exercise such as hiking or a long run?
A: The key is to eat enough healthy food day to day so you have sufficient energy and nutrients to support your activities. And, it’s important to stay hydrated! Keep Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide on the fridge as a reminder of how much to eat from each of the four food groups every day. The Guide is available at www.myfoodguide.ca. Those who are very active and training hard may need to eat more servings than the food guide recommends – consult a sports dietitian.

Canadians continue to be misinformed about hydration during physical activity. It’s important to stay hydrated every day but don’t overdo it! Water, milk, soy beverages, juice, tea, coffee and some foods provide fluid to keep you hydrated. During exercise, drink to replace water lost in sweat. How much? There’s no ‘one size fits all’ answer as we all sweat at different rates. Keep water handy and sip it during your workout. After exercise – regular meals, snacks and beverages will help replace water and minerals that were lost in sweat.

Choose delicious and healthy meals to fuel your active lifestyle. Try the ‘Broiled Cilantro Ginger Salmon’ from Dietitians of Canada’s cookbook Simply Great Food, add a side salad and a glass of milk.

Get a head start on fuelling your body for active living on the Dietitians of Canada’s Nutrition Month website at www.dietitians.ca/eatwell. There’s a wealth of practical food solutions, healthy eating tips, and fun, interactive tools including:

EATracker provides a personalized assessment of your food intake based on your age, gender and activity level.

Let’s Make A Meal helps you choose a day’s worth of meals and compares your choices against the servings recommended by Canada’s Food Guide. 

Recipe Analyzer input your favourite recipe for instant feedback on the nutritional content, as well as suggestions to make them healthier by substituting alternative ingredients that lower the caloric, fat or sugar content.  H&L

Registered dietitians can provide a tailored eating plan that best suits your active lifestyle. To find one near you visit www.dietitians.ca/find

*These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Dietitians of Canada from December 9 to 15, 2008.  This online survey of 1495 Canadians was conducted via the Ipsos I-Say Online Panel, Ipsos Reid's national online panel.  The results of this poll are based on a sample where quota sampling and weighting are employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data.  Quota samples with weighting from the Ipsos online panel provide results that are intended to approximate a probability sample.  Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online polls, however, an unweighted probability sample of this size, with a 100% response rate, would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had the entire adult population of Canada been polled.