Health feeds Performance podcast

Natural sports cookery: is 'food' the missing ergogenic for athletes? – Rachel Jesson

So often within sports nutrition you hear lots of discussion around numbers (for example; grams of carbs, fats and proteins), but not too much mention of the food itself. But surely food forms the basis of nutrition? That is the belief of natural chef and food coach Rachel Jesson - paying attention to how we source and prepare our food can make the difference between health and disease or sporting success and failure.  In this podcast, host Ian Craig asks Rachel about the topic of natural sports cookery. Within their discussion, they explore topics such as upgrading to whole foods, energetic nutrition, cooking with our senses, intuitive eating, and how to make foods digestible and assimilable. Additionally, as a health practitioner, Rachel shares her practice style, particularly focussing on helping her clients to nourish their personal relationships with food, which can improve their health and leverage their physical performance. Tune in to learn more! About Rachel Rachel Jesson B.Phys.Ed M.Phil is a teacher at CISN and the School of Natural Cookery and was the first natural chef to extend these cooking methods out into the demanding field of athletic performance; hence being the host of the CISN natural sports cookery course. Rachel insists that for health we need to keep things simple; she takes inspiration from previous generations with regard to the preparation of wholesome food. Rachel is also the co-author of Wholesome Nutrition (with Ian Craig), and therapeutically, within the Nutritional Institute she works as a health food coach, helping individuals to put nutritional interventions into a practical, food-focused form.  Website: www.intsportsnutrition.com

Nutrition and training insights for skeletal muscle hypertrophy – Simone do Carmo

Skeletal muscle hypertrophy is a fundamental requirement for success in sport. This is particularly true in strength, power and physique sports, but functional hypertrophy, with a focus on the power-to-weight ratio, is relevant to most athletes, and is also important when we start talking about healthy ageing. But how do we address skeletal muscle hypertrophy from a training and nutrition standpoint – do we simply lift big weights and consume lots of protein, or is there more to it than that? In this podcast, host Ian Craig asks sports nutritionist and exercise physiologist, Simone do Carmo, how she works with her active clients who have hypertrophy goals. Within their discussion, Simone gives a balanced explanation of the mTOR complex, which is a well known stimulus of muscle protein synthesis, but has also recently been labelled as the ‘baddy’ within ‘healthspan’ literature – however, is this really true? She also explores her favourite skeletal muscle hypertrophy topic, the gut-muscle axis, which really highlights the importance of gastrointestinal health for all aspects of successful training adaptations. And can a vegan athlete expect to achieve similar muscle gains as an omnivorous athlete? Tune in to find out! About Simone Simone do Carmo MSci SENr CISNCert is a sports nutritionist, exercise physiologist, and personal trainer. She is the course coordinator and student facilitator at the Centre for Integrative Sports Nutrition. An advocate for whole foods and an individualised approach to nutrition, Simone focuses on nutritional strategies to optimise performance, enhance recovery, and prevent injuries from an integrative health perspective. Her passion areas include nutrition for strength and power based sports, skeletal muscle hypertrophy, plant-based nutrition, and REDs (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport). Twitter: @Sport_Bokkie [https://x.com/Sport_Bokkie] LinkedIn: simone-do-carmo [https://www.linkedin.com/in/simone-do-carmo/] View the specialty module, Hypertrophy for Sport and Exercise [https://intsportsnutrition.com/hypertrophy-for-sport-and-exercise/], led by Simone

Cardiovascular nourishment with plant-based polyphenols – Joseph Lillis

The cardiovascular system refers to our heart and all the blood vessels in our body, which carry oxygen and nutrients to and from tissues and organ systems. Deep cardiovascular nourishment is synonymous with energy, essential for an active life, but it supports every bodily function, helping us to recover from, and adapt to, exercise training. Within sports nutrition, cardiovascular nourishment mostly revolves around the supply of energy substrates (macronutrients), alongside the transport of oxygen from the lungs. But, is that all this system really needs?  In this podcast, host Ian Craig asks postgraduate sports nutrition researcher, Joseph Lillis, about the way he thinks about cardiovascular nourishment. Joe’s passion area of research is the polyphenol power of plants; the key ingredients within well researched fruits and vegetables that do a lot more than simply provide ‘fuel’ to the body. They talk about cherries, blackcurrants, blueberries, pomegranates, and olives! Additionally, micro-nutrition, including compounds such as B-vitamins and Coenzyme Q10, are discussed within their vital roles in cardiovascular nourishment and energy provision. And the antioxidant debate in sport is also addressed: should we or should we not supplement an athlete with antioxidant nutrients and plant compounds close to exercise? Does it help or hinder our progression? Tune in to find out!  About Joe Joseph Lillis is a PhD scholar at CCSES (Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University), who within his doctoral research is collaborating with Fattoria la Viallas biodynamic farm and wine estate in Tuscany, Italy. He has a scientific interest in the naturally sourced phenolic compounds found in food and their potential benefits to health, exercise performance and increasing individuals’ ability to exercise. Building upon previous research into oxidative stress, aerobic exercise and acute recovery, within his PhD, Joe is examining the impact of a hydroxytyrosol rich phytocomplex (OliPhenolia®) on inflammatory mediators and functional mobility in an adult population.  Understanding the efficacy of olive-derived phenolics, as well as the effective role that polyphenols could provide in an exercise setting, may inform future nutritional strategies pertinent to exercise training and recovery. Outside of his research, Joe is an international Australian Rules footballer. Needless to say, he implements some of the nutrients discussed in the podcast during training and tournaments. Connect with Joe on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-lillis-15a4b2178/]

Nourishing a female athlete’s active phases of life – Karen Harrison

Any woman will tell you that their health, training, and nutrition needs are different to that of a man, but yet much of the research data in the field of sports nutrition has come from male subjects. So, what if exercise and nutrition practitioners could personalise their advice to the particular needs of female athletes, and in particular, the unique case presentations of individual female clients? Would their health and performance improve? In this podcast, host Ian Craig asks nutrition and genetic practitioner, Karen Harrison, about the way she works with female athletes, which leads into a guided tour of the phases of life in active women. Specifically, Karen addresses the now-popular notion of periodising training and nutrition around the menstrual cycle, she considers the peri-menopausal years, adding nutrition and lifestyle recommendations to make the transition into menopause easier, and she also talks about supporting active ageing women, who have ‘healthspan’ in mind. The ultimate focus of this podcast is to emphasise the individualised health needs of a woman, considering her nutritional intake, exercise training, stress load, and unique hormone rhythms. About Karen Karen Harrison MSc BSc is the owner of Team Gene, providing genetic reports for active individuals, looking into energy production, repair potential, sleep and lifestyle. Her main objective with genetic testing is to create a bespoke report specifically for the individual, depending on their health concerns and the type of training they are doing. Karen is one of 45 alumni from St Mary’s University in Twickenham who completed an MSc in Nutrition and Genetics. She also holds a BSc in Nutritional Science from CNELM, and has been lecturing for seven years in this subject, and has run her own nutrition clinic since 2010. www.teamgene.co.uk [https://www.teamgene.co.uk/]

Understanding sudden death syndrome in performance athletes – Heidi du Preez

It has been estimated that 1 to 3 in 100,000 apparently healthy young athletes die suddenly during exercise; especially in sports like basketball, football, and American football (McKelvie et al., 2022 [https://www.msdmanuals.com/en-gb/professional/cardiovascular-disorders/sports-and-the-heart/sudden-cardiac-death-in-athletes]). Cardiac events are considered the most common medical cause of sudden death syndrome in performance athletes: myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle, is considered by the American College of Cardiology a very likely reason for such traumatic events, with chronic inflammation and oxidative stress as the main underlying etiological factors. In this podcast, host Ian Craig asks nutritional scientist and practitioner, Heidi du Preez, about the underlying factors that could contribute to sudden cardiac death susceptibility among performing athletes. Included within this discussion is a deep dive into sulphur metabolism and the importance of sulphation for cardiovascular health: the degree and position of sulphate groups in the endothelial layers of the heart has an important effect on its function. Additionally, the factors that contribute to the sulphate pool, and those that deplete it, will be explored. This podcast ultimately aims to provide nutrition and lifestyle strategies that should lesson the likelihood of sudden death syndrome during sporting events. About Heidi Heidi du Preez PhD candidate is a professional registered scientist, specialising in nutritional biochemistry. She obtained a masters degree in food science in 1995, and has been working in the arena of functional medicine since 1999. Heidi is currently registered for a PhD in Clinical Medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, with sulphur metabolism as her area of specialisation. Heidi runs a private nutrition practice in Cape Town, South Africa, and online. She follows a functional approach, applying the principles of precision medicine or personalised medicine, which is based on the concepts of nutritional therapy. She specialises in integrative oncology, environmental illness, heavy metal toxicity, neurological diseases, digestive disorders and systemic candidiasis. Heidi is a co-author of the health recipe book Naturally Nutritious Wholefood Cookbook.  Email: heididp@heididupreez.com