The Gut Health Podcast
The Gut Health Podcast explores the scientific connection between the gut, food, mood, microbes and well-being. Kate Scarlata is a world-renowned GI dietitian and Dr. Megan Riehl is a prominent GI psychologist at the University of Michigan and both are the co-authors of Mind Your Gut: The Science-based, Whole-body Guide to Living Well with IBS. Their unique lens with which they approach holistic conversations with leading experts in the field of gastroenterology will appeal to the millions of individuals impacted by gut health.
As leaders in their field, Kate and Megan dynamically plow through the common myths surrounding gut health and share evidence-backed information on navigating medical management, nutrition, behavioral interventions and more for those living with or without a GI condition.
The Gut Health Podcast is where science, expertise, and two enthusiastic advocates for wellness come together to help you live your best life.
Learn more about Kate and Megan at www.katescarlata.com and www.drriehl.com
The Gut Health Podcast
From Plate to Performance: Minimizing Digestive Distress During Exercise with Sports Dietitian Leslie Bonci
Experience runner's trots, belly cramping, and/or heartburn and reflux while exercising? You are not alone! Join us in our latest episode featuring the expert insights of Leslie Bonci, a renowned sports dietitian who has worked with top-tier teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers. Discover why less is often more when it comes to fueling during exercise. Leslie breaks down the myths surrounding fueling for exercise and provides actionable tips to help you train both your gut and muscles for peak performance.
Fueling for endurance performance shouldn't be a one-size-fits-all approach. In this episode, we delve into the importance of carbohydrates and the benefits of customizable, homemade snacks that cater to sensitive stomachs. Not a fan of the overly sweet gels? Leslie shares delicious recipes for savory energy bites (and more) that can keep you going. We also explore the innovative concept of waterless electrolytes, a game-changer for athletes who struggle with high fluid volumes. You'll also hear valuable insights regarding the role of dietitians in crafting tailored nutrition plans.
Athletic success is about more than just physical prowess—it's about holistic health. Leslie emphasizes the importance of maintaining muscle mass, emotional resilience, and a balanced diet! This episode provides key tips for achieving a well-rounded, mindful approach to exercise, along with essential information about nutritional science and stress management. Join us for an enlightening discussion that celebrates the synergy of the mind, the gut, and the foods you eat for optimum athletic performance.
Learn more about Kate and Dr. Riehl:
Website: www.katescarlata.com and www.drriehl.com
Instagram: @katescarlata @drriehl and @theguthealthpodcast
Order Kate and Dr. Riehl's book, Mind Your Gut: The Science-Based, Whole-body Guide to Living Well with IBS.
The information included in this podcast is not a substitute for professional medical advice, examination, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider before starting any new treatment or making changes to existing treatment.
Maintaining a healthy gut is key for overall physical and mental well-being. Whether you're a health-conscious advocate, an individual navigating the complexities of living with GI issues, or a healthcare provider, you are in the right place. The Gut Health Podcast will empower you with a fascinating scientific connection between your brain, food and the gut. Come join us. We welcome you. Hello friends, and welcome to the Gut Health Podcast, where we talk about all things related to your gut and well-being. We are your hosts. I'm Kate Scarlata, a GI dietitian, and I am Dr Megan Riehl, a GI psychologist.
Dr. Megan Riehl:We have an exciting podcast for you today, and we are talking about exercise-related GI distress, a common occurrence in endurance athletes that have high calorie and nutrient needs to perform at their best, and also, I'm sure, that many people like me who are just chasing some realistic health goals, like getting in my steps and some strength training. We are in for some spectacular inspiration today.
Kate Scarlata:I love that. So I am so lucky to introduce you to my colleague, Leslie Bonsi. She is a sports expert, registered dietitian, and has worked with the Kansas City Chiefs for the past 10 years. Woohoo, how about that? The Chiefs are the winners of the Super Bowl 58 and the seventh team in league history to win four Super Bowls. Of course, I'm a Patriots fan, so we won't get into that. Okay? Leslie is the real deal sports dietitian with extensive experience working with athletes. In addition to the Chiefs is the real deal sports dietitian with extensive experience working with athletes In addition to the chief. She was the sports dietitian for the Pittsburgh Steelers for 21 years. Leslie has worked with Olympic athletes, baseball teams, hockey teams, university athletes, firefighters, police officers, the military and healthcare professionals, as well as working with construction workers and real people who are trying to be fit, fed and fearless I love that as well as members of the Good Gut Club, which, of course, Megan and I love that. So we are so happy to have you. Thanks for joining us, Leslie.
Leslie Bonci:I am thrilled to be here and let's talk about all things related to gut and what are those deal makers? Instead of the deal, breakers.
Dr. Megan Riehl:Yes, we want to be a part of the good gut club. You know this is amazing. And, leslie, we like to start our podcast with myth busting. So here is your myth busting question what myth would you like to bust for our audience pertaining to the athlete that experiences GI distress during or post workout?
Leslie Bonci:I think the biggest myth would be that you need to have as much as you can during exercise. That is the deal breaker right there. It's kind of like the barista thing oh I need a sport drink, a gel, a charm for chew. We've got all this stuff going on and then you're gutted and chaos. That doesn't work. So I love the idea of less is more. That's really what we want to focus on.
Kate Scarlata:That's very inspiring because I think of like this protein and we're going to get into protein. But it's like we are in a protein craze right now and I can't wait to hear what you think about that. Well, I know as a runner and I've run a marathon that GI distress is common, especially with runners, with the bouncing, with the energy, all the blood going to the muscles instead of the intestines. So I know you're going to talk about that. But what are some common GI complaints that you hear in athletes? And I just want to comment with one thing, because I know like the urge to poop with running is common and we had a listener ask about that like two hours into running I've got to find a bathroom. So why does that happen? And what are some common GI distress complaints you hear with the athletes that you work with?
Leslie Bonci:First of all, it really varies. Of what area are we talking about? And the sport. So, for instance, somebody that's a cyclist or a rower, where you're bent over your equipment, so to speak, that it tends to be more of the upper GI thing, so the reflux maybe even like an upset stomach, you're experiencing those types of things, whereas the jostling that goes on when you're running, that's more the lower GI stuff, so it can be more frequent bowel movements. Sometimes it's just this bloating, this discomfort that people have.
Leslie Bonci:So why is it in running in particular? Because you're bouncing up and down. This is the way it is. We've got to run on our legs. We don't really not like oozing around the ground like a snail. It doesn't work that way. So we've got all the bouncing and this relates back to what I said is oh, but I need all these things to eat. Well, where are those foods going to go?
Leslie Bonci:If you take in too much, then it's going to be a problem. So I am always a very, very big believer in people needing to train their gut. We don't always think about that, right. We think about training our muscles for sport my legs, my heart, my lungs. What about that GI tract that needs to be trained too. So you have to practice and kind of back to the starting with the little right.
Leslie Bonci:So there's recommendations out there. Everybody has recommendations you need 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour. Well, first of all, not everybody needs that much. Secondly, it's not if you're out for three miles. No, no, it's in the second hour and you start small and you build up because this is it. If you have too much in there, that's going to be part of the problem and that's oftentimes what I see. It's not the first hour of a race, it's longer than that. Why? Because you're taking in all these things along the path and so we just have to say no to some of the things that are out there. I'm serious, it's a little bit. Less really can help to prevent that GI disruption.
Kate Scarlata:I think about like the intestinal microbiome, right. So you're all of a sudden, I know when I was training for the marathon I felt like I was eating was a job in itself. The calorie needs were ridiculous, especially towards the end of my training. It was like a full-time job. So all of that food that goes in has to come out, and you've got to figure out a way for your body and your microbes to change too. You think of like athletes are fueling on carbohydrates and that's the favorite food source of our gut microbiota. You're training your gut and you're training those microbes, or at least letting that ecosystem settle in, right, and you can't be waiting until.
Leslie Bonci:Oh, I'll think about this the night before my marathon and let me eat five pounds of pasta and hope for the best. No, I'm a really very big believer in three days prior. So, whether we're talking about an all day soccer tournament or swim meets I talked to a group of swimmers yesterday is you don't think about it necessarily the morning of? You start that process three days in advance because you're not stressed right, you're not like overly worried about things three days out. You're right now. This is the time for those Olympians to start to think about what they're going to be doing once they actually compete in their events in the next two weeks. And if we do it that way and we have a chance to maybe consume a little bit more, then we don't have to worry so much about what we are doing the actual day.
Leslie Bonci:So this idea of super saturating muscle and liver glycogen, helping the body to hold more fluid, I'm also a very big believer in even bringing the sodium up a little bit more, not necessarily the day of, but what you do in advance and as I mentioned I'll say it again during training that's the time that you try the thing. I can't tell you and I've done a lot of marathons myself spoken at Pittsburgh Marathon Expo every year and everybody goes for the expo. Oh, let's try an ostrich stick, let's try this, let's try this. And why do I feel like I'm going to vomit the morning of the race? Because you put all this stuff in your book that your body's never had before.
Kate Scarlata:Yeah, it's so simple and common sense, and yet you need to hear it, you need to hear it from the expert that this is just not going to go down. So what about refueling, because I know that's a science unto itself as well. And electrolyte replacement, and there's so again with the protein. Protein's got a health halo right now. And sugar wow, it's the demon. And yet we need glucose right when we're refueling. And those refueling electrolyte supplements should have a little bit of glucose. And some of them have fructose, and some people can't tolerate fructose, like a lot of fructose, especially like myself that has eight feet of the small intestine removed. Fructose is absorbed through these transporters in the small intestine. So if there's some inflammation or surgical resection, now we have a lot of patients with Crohn's disease that are running marathons, that are doing these amazing feats despite this really challenging disease, and so there's all these modifications right. So for the sensitive belly out there is there a refuel electrolyte supplement regimen that you go for what's best tolerated.
Leslie Bonci:Yeah, and I think, first and foremost, is that it's not one size fits all, because it's above and beyond the actual nutrients. It's also taste, texture, form, all those things that we need to consider. And, from a refueling perspective, first and foremost, the what we do in that immediate period of time, post exercise, is the appetizer, not the entree, so it's not like I have to shovel it all in right now. When I just finished, I know, when I did my first marathon, the idea of chewing anything made me want to cry. I couldn't even move my mouth, I was so exhausted, and so it's just a little bit. That's the tease to start the recovery process, which occurs over a period of time. So some people feel more comfortable just putting fluids back into their body at that particular point in time and thinking about what are we going to replace? Some people are salt losers, right, but they are. They're very, very salty sweaters. So you know, rather than say it has to be these electrolyte mixes is salt is a really good thing to do. So even salt added to what one considers to be a tolerable beverage that works, to do it that way to start this recovery process.
Leslie Bonci:Secondly, yes, we do need to have some carbohydrate, not just then, but also what's happening before and during. For long duration events, carbohydrate is critically important, but again, what feels comfortable at that point in time and it's a little bit. We don't have to do a lot right then and there. So I think it's really important for the sensitive bellies. For all the products that are out there, it's like oh, all these bars? Well, some of these bars are made with dates and honey. If you have GI issues, no, you don't want to do that. I oftentimes make my own and do that for my athletes too, because then I can customize what goes in there and minimize the chance that there's going to be a surprise that doesn't tend to sit well with the gut. And we also think about that and I think this is very interesting of what happens with endurance athletes and there've been studies that have looked at this is our taste profile changes over the course of activity.
Leslie Bonci:We've worked with a lot of iron men and women and you know most products out there that are sports designed are sweet, everything's sweet, and that desire for the sweet actually goes down. So you don't just get carbohydrates in with things that are sweet, you get them in with things that are savory, which oftentimes can be a lot more comfortable. So love the idea of doing something like a rice ball that might have a little bit of a soy sauce in it Okay, that can be more tolerable. Or you a little bit of a pickle, depending upon what somebody can tolerate, or even a potato. We've done this a lot potatoes a go go with a potato, cold, small, with a little bit of seasoning on it. That feels a lot better going down than some of those other things that feel sweet and slimy and goopy and yuck, and then it doesn't precipitate GI symptoms.
Leslie Bonci:So I think there's a lot of experimentation that needs to go on, and that's why it's so critically important to work not only with a sports dietitian, but a sports dietitian who understands the gut as well and has some culinary aptitude. So it's more than just the figures. Nobody understands grams and micrograms. Nobody knows what that is. Just tell me what to eat. That's really what people want to know. Give me the template, show me what I should have. What should I have in my refrigerator? What needs to be in my to-go bag? What is in my sports bag?
Kate Scarlata:So tell me a little bit about what if you make your own refuel, like what's in that? I'm just curious for our listeners. You know, not that you have to give exact amounts, but like what's in there.
Leslie Bonci:Yeah, and so when I'm looking at like the energy bite type of a thing and I do them a lot of different ways. So one of them might have a peanut butter, but not always it could be an almond butter, it could be a tahini butter, depending upon what somebody's tolerance is to item I usually try and put a little texture in there. Rice krispies are typically my go-to because it's crunchy and it's mild and it just brings a nice little taste to what happened. Sometimes a little bit of oat, but I've used other grains as well, and then I'll change up what goes in in terms of the sweetener. In some cases it might be a little bit of jam, something more tolerated sometimes than doing a honey or a maple syrup.
Leslie Bonci:I find those are too sweet. I don't like that. So I'd rather do something like even like a little bit of a fruit spread to provide some flavor and sweetness. It's not too much, and grated orange peel is always my thing. It just has that little bit of refreshment, that little teeny bit on it. And they're small, that's the other thing, not the size of our head. We're talking about something the size of a quarter, which is about sometimes as much as you can open your mouth to get in when your body is exhausted after exercise.
Kate Scarlata:Mid-run in my marathon I had a bar and I ate half of it. That went down. It was great. And then I would suck on hard candy and that was like my little. It was just easy under my tongue while I just kept going Because, like you said, you're exhausted, you're running for hours In that form, a gel.
Leslie Bonci:Just the concept of a gel sounded not for me. And the other thing, and you had mentioned electrolytes and the challenge with that is and there's lots of products obviously and the sticks and the whatever but you're only getting that amount of electrolyte in that stick if you drink that whole volume of fluid. Otherwise you're not right. I mean, that's a challenge to do that and some people can't tolerate the whole 16 to 20 ounces. It's just too much for them, even over the course of an hour. Oh, I'll take a sip, or what we see all the time. Let me take a sip and spit it on the ground, which wets the shoes of the person next to you and waters the ground. Or I'll pour it on my head useless wet air. That doesn't work.
Leslie Bonci:And so there is a new product that's out in development right now that is a waterless electrolyte, which really is a pretty cool idea. So you are getting the benefit of the electrolyte without the fluid. So it actually helped to prevent the dehydration over a period of time, rather than you take the volume out of the equation, because that's sometimes the other issue of the volume in the equation can just make it uncomfortable. But I will say as well, I think there are people that just kind of like everybody needs electrolytes. Well, yes, from the food that we eat, not necessarily because it has to be a stick or packet or a particular electrolyte beverage. And then the other thing that's happening more is you know why not put everything into there, like the kitchen sink? Let's put caffeine in the electrolytes? Let's not do that. But it's happening in many of the products that are out there, which we really don't want to do, because that in and of itself can also be GI disturbance.
Kate Scarlata:Yeah, that's a good point. I think about just the notion that, again about health halos salt gets villainized, I know, not so much in the athletes. I ended up training with a woman that died actually of hyponatremia and I think because we were so encouraged to drink water and hydrate and no one really talked about the sodium needs. I mean it's tragic. So I think it's this sodium balance and hydration balance is so important.
Leslie Bonci:You know it is. And certainly you know people, certainly people selectively hear okay, I heard fluid, so that's what I'll focus on. For all the years that I worked at UPMC Center for Sports Medicine, we'd see these high school athletes come in with two-gallon jugs of water. It's like no, it's like grabbing them away from them, like no, you can't have that. Why I need all this fluid? It's like no, no, you know there is an upper limit to what the body needs. Certainly baseline needs, of course we have to get, and then we have to get what the body needs for exercise on top of that.
Leslie Bonci:But more is not better. And especially in people who kind of have this little target around salt oh, salt is bad and I shouldn't have any so they're not consuming enough. And then they are over consuming of the water. And yes, I mean we've seen it play out, unfortunately in the military, in longer duration events and even these horrible challenges online. It's like, right, the radio thing here, drink as much water as you can, and it's what mother died. I mean it's like, what are we talking about here? So it's not just water in and of itself, and during exercise it is water, it is enough carbohydrate and electrolytes. That's the trifecta, not just one of those things. All of those things.
Dr. Megan Riehl:Well, I think you're giving us so much food and also liquid for thought, and you know we're going to dive into a little bit of NFL talk here, but I've been watching America's Sweethearts, which is all about the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, and something that they've talked a lot about with these women that are performing at such a high level for hours and hours and hours at a time, is that they need to fuel their body and that they can be observed to have less energy and less stamina, and one of the first things that coaches bring up is are you fueling your body?
Dr. Megan Riehl:And in my brain I'm like I hope they have dieticians available for these women. I hope they have psychologists available for these women, because they're performing at almost the same exact level as the athletes that they're cheering for. They are athletes, but I think that stress for whether you are a cheerleader or you are a professional athlete is likely a part of the entire picture and how our body responds to stress. And so, in working with the NFL and people in the military, people that are performing at such a high level and under stressful conditions right, how do you find stress as contributing to digestive distress for those that you work with?
Leslie Bonci:Right and there's absolutely no doubt. So it's very, very different, right On a day that you're training, or a day that you're practicing, or a day that you're conditioning lifting day that you're conditioning lifting then here we go, I'm on the field and this is a win or lose situation, like the Super Bowl. We have one team going home the victor and one is the loser. That's just kind of the way that it is. And so typically on a day of competition, competition is a good thing, but it also isn't a great thing in terms of eating. I don't think that I've ever worked with an athlete who eats well on competition day. They don't, because their mind is somewhere else, their gut is somewhere else and that's why they're prepare thing. So the warmup is not the morning of. The warmup actually starts three days out, where the body really can fuel and nourish and chill and get ready for battle, so to speak, without that stress at the same time and we're not going to take stress away, that's there. The stress of competition can be a really good thing, but always that encouragement and reminder you still need to fuel your body during. And I will say, having had the opportunity to work with two teams that really cared about both of those things athletic training staff fantastic. Strength and conditioning staff fantastic of making sure not only that there were things that around, but even the encouragement of a little versus nothing. Just put a little bit into your body you're kind of like the mom message posted everywhere can really really help.
Leslie Bonci:And I think this is also a bigger issue for females. And you know, cheerleaders is not only are they working hard and sometimes harder, because you don't take a break in the middle of a routine. That's right, you got to do the whole thing, right. Football you catch, there's a commercial for five hours and then you come back again and the poor cheerleaders are still there on the field. But in addition to that, think about what they're wearing. It's pretty darn scanty, right? You're not.
Leslie Bonci:Football players aren't dressed in little short shorts. They're not. They're covered head to toe. So there's that issue. That goes on as well. But they do work hard. And so this idea of you've got to fuel, not only to fuel to make sure you can get through those routines, but over the course of an entire season. And unlike the players, cheerleaders don't make that kind of money. They all hold other jobs. Some of them hold two jobs. The cheerleading is the passion thing, but that's not what really helps them earn their keep, so to speak. So they're busy all the time. They don't have time to be injured and so, really, talking about that, they need to level up to the table. They deserve to do that hand-to-mouth activity as much, if not more than the big guys do.
Dr. Megan Riehl:I totally agree, and I think you're making such an important point that, as an athlete or really anybody like we've talked about in the helping professions, whether you're a police officer or a firefighter or in the military it's not about the day that you're going out to battle, it's really about leading up to it and also just healthy, sustainable practices that you're doing on a regular basis. You're not gonna be as successful if you're like oh, I'm going to run a marathon tomorrow and so I better eat well today. It doesn't work that way. That's what you're saying. And developing those healthy skills over the long term is going to take practice. It's going to take trying different things.
Dr. Megan Riehl:My mind was kind of blown thinking about the savory side of things and, quite frankly, I might like that soy and rice better than I remember. I never did marathons. I was a 5K queen and so I didn't need a lot of the things that you're talking about for my 5K. I needed to be thoughtful, but I would try some of those gel products. The things that are in the expo hall and I was just like these are gross. So trying different things, even if you're not an endurance athlete, I think is a good idea, because we want to just be thinking about healthy nutrition with exercise all the time.
Leslie Bonci:Absolutely, we do. And again you're thinking about palate, thinking about texture and trying things out. I mean, it's easy to do a little bit of rice. The potato thing really works well, you know, even sometimes the idea of like a savory, like a little bit of a rice cracker, sometimes like a regular cracker.
Leslie Bonci:It's too dry, it's like oh, my God stuck in my esophagus and also kind of the stickiness right, that tackiness, the feeling on the teeth. That's the problem sometimes with the chews. It's like going like this with your mouth trying to get it off. It's not always comfortable during exercise, so I always say this when I talk with companies it's my wishlist Please can you make something more on the savory side? I was just in Southeast Asia for two weeks in June for some work and it's a very different palette. We want things that are more savory, not so much sweet, and so I said, yes, this is exactly. Or can we do something tart that's in there? Maybe, I don't know a kimchi flavored something. Maybe, I don't know, some people might love that. Frankly, I would love that.
Dr. Megan Riehl:We know that would be good for the gut. I know I was just going to say that, yeah. Well, so professional athletes and people that are at a high professional level demand. We know that nutrition is important, but also these people have exceptional emotional resilience, or at least we hope that they are receiving strategies and skills in this area. So I'm curious can you share some of the strategies or routines that you've observed in players to help manage the intense pressure and stay at their best and go out and be the winner on the field or manage the stress of not winning? Certainly?
Leslie Bonci:Every team has a sports psychologist, if not more than one, that is there both from an individual perspective as well as kind of like the cheerleading group kind of talks, and that's also part of that comes from the coaches. It's not just about the win, it is taking care of the athletes themselves, and that's really a lot of what our player development staff does is to really be able to troubleshoot and fine tune, because you know, just like the rest of us, some of these athletes and family issues going on at home or business investments or you know some other things that they have to deal with. They're off the field activities that can sometimes get in the way, and so being able to have the resources to work with that is critically important. Also, the camaraderie of I've got your back, it's a team, it's not an N of one, it is an N of 53 on the active roster and then an additional 15 as part of the practice squad of all being there together to support each other and as well as working with the spouses because you know they are the ones or the girlfriend that are kind of the behind the scene, that are part of supporting their guy who is there on the field, we also talk a lot about this idea of equipment. Right, If you're playing football, there's a lot of gear.
Leslie Bonci:It's your cleats, it's your shoulder pads, it's your helmet, it's whatever. But what's that internal equipment? What's the internal equipment? What's your mindset? What's your eating like? Do you pray? Does that help you to center? Is there something that you do as a hobby that you know?
Leslie Bonci:Some of our guys like to spend time in the kitchen. That's awesome. As long as they don't cut a finger off, all is good with the world. You know, spending time with their kids. They give back to the community, whether it's going to a boys and girls club and reading or something else Gardening We've got some of our players have been ranchers and farmers, so it's what they do that centers them. That helps to take some of that stress away. So it's not just all the time. How am I going to do? Right? Talent is important, but even all the talent in the world doesn't always guarantee a W, doesn't always guarantee a trip to a Super Bowl. So there has to be that other thing. What's the door number two? The door number one is showing up every day for practice, for lifting on the field. The door number two is your life and how do you handle that?
Dr. Megan Riehl:Yeah, I mean, you're hitting on things again that are so relatable for all of us, right? You know we love our jobs, but if all we focus on is what we do for the 8 to 12 hours of a day, you know, whatever the day might look like, who we come home to, where we go to give our thanks, all of that emotionally builds us up and also helps to regulate some of that cortisol and adrenaline that inevitably has to come down after the end of the working day. So, you know, we asked Dr Mark Pimentel what does he do? He plays the guitar, you know. So we've got this world-renowned scientist. And then, you know, we're using the other side of our brain, and so athletes and high performers have to do that as well, because we need that for that emotional stability and resilience and longevity too.
Leslie Bonci:And I think part of that too, especially in that world, is, you know, turning off the screens. You don't have to read every review of everything that everybody says about you. You know, a lot of our players eat their meals at home at night because I thought they have adoring fans. But that gets a little annoying. You're trying to eat your food. I mean. I remember when I was here working with the Steelers here and Troy Palamalu he was just awesome and he walked into Whole Foods to get salmon. All this poor guy wanted to do was to get some salmon and it's like this swarm of people crowding over. Can I have an autograph? I said go to your car. We just happen to go to your car. I'll get you your salmon, because this is it.
Leslie Bonci:You want your time to just decompress and not have to be on all of the time. So that is another thing, as well as the sleep, and that is one of the things that, at least with the chiefs, we talk about all the time the importance of sleep, meaning that you're not uploading the day, not eating in the shape of a Nike Swoosh little little, let's eat the refrigerator. No is, you'll be able to take that time before you go to bed, give your body a chance to digest. Also, thinking about what's happening with alcohol. Talk about it a lot, not the drink and drive method that goes over like a lead balloon, but how it impacts sleep, how it impacts performance.
Leslie Bonci:And caffeine as well, which historically was never a big deal in football and now it is, and not always necessarily a copy of that. We have an espresso machine. It's like. I don't know if that's good or bad, but you know all the drinks, all the stuff that everybody's doing and not really thinking about that impact or the half-life of caffeine and tossing and turning when you're trying to sleep. So it's education. It's not a question of not do, it's a question of when you choose to do it, so it doesn't impact with your ability to be able to get your Zs.
Dr. Megan Riehl:I was able to take a peek inside where the University of Michigan football players hang out recently, and actually it was a very cozy environment that I think induced this state of: there was areas to watch TV, to chill out to, you know, big beanbag chairs, there was community tables, and so I think it just is important to recognize these guys need stress relief too, and just as much as we all do at the end of our busy days.
Leslie Bonci:And sometimes a little bit more. So I mean, I'm not saying we all, we all need it, but because of what they're going to face when they go in the next day, or especially when it was a loss, and you can just see that collective that's there and they know they're going to hear it from the coaches and if not, you just played a loss. Hey, let's watch that film 25,000 times to really drum it into our head. Boy, we suck, okay, there. It is those types of things that you have to have the balance on the other side.
Leslie Bonci:And then the one other component of this which doesn't get talked about enough, I think is critically important, is not just that kind of stress, but the stress of the way the body looks. You're not necessarily petite to play in the NFL right, this is a given and depending upon the position that you play, you need to be big because you're protecting your quarterback, you're protecting the one who makes a lot of money, and that's the way it is. But if you're really big, then then okay, that's good for protection. And then you hear it all the time. You hear it from your coaches, you hear it from the athletic trainer and it's like this constant. You need to lean up. You need to do this, and I will tell you and I talk to players individually, I am their advocate. I believe in this strongly. It is not just about a number on the scale, because we can't put it that way, but to really talk about how can we do this in a way that is not going to cause you more stress, that is not going to make you feel bullied, that is not going to impact your performance nor your health.
Leslie Bonci:And so oftentimes they go right to the eliminate. Don't eat this, don't eat this, don't eat this. Oh, why am I collapsing on the field? And so I think it is just one of those things that, oh, they're all fine, they're all happy all the time. No, no, they're not. And I think it's always fascinating when we see players at the end of their career is when they might come to what would probably be their body's normal size. It's like, where did you go? There's 60 pounds less of them, but they don't have that continual stress. Kate, as you said, with the marathon, for the guys that are lean or are hard gainers, honestly it's a 24-7 proposition. Wake up at 3 am to eat Well, that's ridiculous, because then you're not sleeping and you just feel so uncomfortably. Everybody's watching you all the time. Did you eat enough? Did you eat less? All of that judging it's exhausting and extremely stressful.
Kate Scarlata:I know it's say like risk for disordered eating. Right? So we know athletes are at risk for disordered eating. Think about the cheerleaders in their little scant outfits and having people throw eliminate this, eliminate this, you're too big, you're too little, you're whatever. As a dietician, I know you agree with me. We just want people to enjoy food and have a good relationship with food, and these add layers to that relationship with food, for sure.
Leslie Bonci:Well, absolutely they do. And sometimes I think, well, there would never be disordered eating. Eating disorders in a football player? Yes, there are. This is not just for what we might think of like the teeny, tiny gymnast, or even a lot of the tour de france bicyclists. You're doing some really funky things because you want to be as light as you can when you're climbing through the alps that's the way that it is.
Leslie Bonci:Or weight class sport, so another issue of the cycling, all of those things, rowers, same, all of it. So it is so important that we kind of take it away from the numbers and really the focus on what can you do, what will you do, what do you like to do. That takes away a little bit of that stress not entirely, but a little bit less stress. I'm always talking about permission over omission. I think it is a much, much better way to talk about things.
Kate Scarlata:I love that. So listeners, take heed to Leslie's advice. Permission over omission, I love it. Let's switch and talk a little bit about diet again. I mentioned the whole protein hype and I see it just even at the grocery store high protein bread, high protein, this. And are we getting enough protein? And we're talking about protein. And how much protein does the average Joe need? And I know, I'm a dietician, I know a small woman at 55 probably needs a little less than a football player at 350 pounds. But what are we talking about? What are the needs?
Leslie Bonci:So we kind of look at this a couple of ways. So the first way is looking according to the dietary guidelines, and what are those recommendations right now and this is based upon people that are not athletes, you know, people that are more sedentary is as the guidelines are right now. It's probably looking at a little under a half a gram of protein per pound body weight. That may be adequate. That might not always be optimal, and the reason for that is certainly as we get older. Well, you know, we want to maintain our muscle. This is all about preservation, not loss, and so we have to have enough there, or that idea of living hail, not frail. It's like my mother is in a wheelchair. She's 92. And I look at her and say you know, not doing that Plus, my kids would never take care of me anyway, so forget it. I got to keep myself strong. I know them well enough, but, like mom, forget it. You're on your own and so we might have a little bit higher need there. If we are active and this isn't just about those that strength train, this is about any type of physical activity you are breaking down muscle when you're exercising. What happens when you run? Foot strikes against the ground breakdown, breakdown, breakdown, breakdown. So you have to do the build. You're going to lose muscle and so the needs become higher. And so in that case, actually, if we compare an endurance athlete to a resistance trained athlete, they both need the same. So then we're looking, maybe, about point seven grams of protein per pound body weight. Yeah, there are some recommendations right now that for older individuals I like the word seasoned, I don't like the word older, seasoned individuals but it may be up to one gram per pound, but that doesn't mean everybody has to be there. That's the first part of it is what amounts might be. Second part of it is how we eat it. So it is the distribution of protein, and that's why I always take issue with this concept of macro. That really tells you nothing other than a number and a percent. People don't know what that is. You don't walk into the grocery store and see macros posted everywhere. You don't. So how we eat that protein. So if somebody says, all right, I think I need 80 grams of protein a day, so maybe for breakfast I do a piece of toast, little. Maybe for lunch I do salad because I want to be more plant-based, okay, fine, and but you know, I have all these veggies there, but that's it. And then for dinner, well now, what do I do? Oh well, I'll have a whole 16 ounces of tofu you could. But now we've kind of skewed that right. So now we have all the protein at the end of the day.
Leslie Bonci:Nothing during the day, and most people are not physically active, necessarily at 8 pm. Sometimes soccer teams are ice hockey because it's when they get rink time. We know that, but in general people exercise during the day. So if you short change your protein during the day when your body's physically active, that's not what we want to see happening. So distribution is as important as the number. So really, I'm a very big believer is I'd like the idea of probably like smartphone size that amount as part of every meal. However, we do that.
Leslie Bonci:So if people are an avocado aficionado I'm not I have nothing against them. I find them slimy. I just I can't even fathom. But it's like avocado on a bread. Where's the protein? It's not there. Could you put an egg on there? You know? Could you do a lactose-free cottage cheese? There's something there to put some protein in. Same thing at lunchtime enough, and at dinner.
Leslie Bonci:So really, that consistency across the day is what we're looking at rather than overdue and I do think, Kate and Megan, that yes, there are a lot of people that overdo. Does anybody need protein water? That would be no. You can have the fluid and you can chew the protein, or you might have a drink that has protein in it, but it does become a little bit overkill and the biggest issue with it is, if that is the emphasis, then guaranteed there's going to be a deficit of other things that need to be part of the play. Or athletes would say I'm having all this protein, I'm not seeing what I want to see in the gym. I said yes, because you're shortchanging your carbohydrate and it is the marriage of both of those nutrients that are critically important to see the gains in the gym. It's not just about the protein to the exclusion of all else.
Kate Scarlata:Yeah, and I always say like balance plate, balance body, so like have all those components. And the other thing is that protein can be malabsorbed. So if you're taking in a huge amount at one time, your body has a capacity and some of it will be malabsorbed and that can lead to hydrogen sulfide gas, stinky rotten egg gas. So just if you notice that you might be overdoing protein at one meal and maybe even some negative metabolites like indoles and ammonia and that sort of thing. Not getting too micro into the gut health piece of it. But overdoing protein may have negative effects on the gut microbiome and I think that's important, like more isn't always better, which you've really drilled in to our listeners today and I think that's important.
Kate Scarlata:We also know when we eat carbohydrates with fiber and protein that the microbes go after the carbohydrates with fiber and they won't ferment the protein as much. So that's kind of interesting. So, again to your point, if you're having the toast with the avocado, which you will not have, and an egg, that's going to be better balance and digestion and gut health oriented. So balanced plate, balanced body, spread out the protein. That's important. And so you're 150 pound man and you're an athlete maybe 150 or less grams of protein. If it's point seven, it would be less right so, but in that range you don't need more than probably 150 grams of protein.
Leslie Bonci:You don't. And then the other thing about it that I always think is so interesting is depending upon what people are choosing. Right, it's that protein source, and particularly when we're looking at the bars or powders or shakes or whatever is, if you have a wonky gut, then you really need to think about what you're doing. Some of the bars and some of the shakes that advertise high protein are also in the fine print or not so fine print low carb, but they still taste sweet. Right, nothing tastes like a pork chop. So, okay, what else is in there to provide the sweetness? And that might be contributing to some of the GI distress as well as the when we have them. So, for instance, okay, I'm going to sit down and have a meal and I need a protein shake with you.
Leslie Bonci:No, that's redundancy. Maybe not Eat the food that has the protein in it. If you really feel you're a little short on your protein, then maybe move the time of that shake and maybe that's the thing you do before bed. But take a look and pick something that isn't isolate, so that the only thing you're getting there is the protein itself, nothing competing in there. You mix it with something that is comfortable to your gut to have and you don't exceed the dose. If it says one scoop, there's no need for 25. One scoop it'll also last longer. It's a lot less expensive to do it that way.
Kate Scarlata:Yeah. Now what about your elite athletes? Are they relying on protein powders? Or is it just like a thing, Like do they need it? Or is it just kind of like this is cool, I'm putting my protein powder in my smoothie.
Leslie Bonci:You know what? We actually have very few that do and interesting, so I can only speak to the teams that I've worked with. But before the pandemic we had, like this fueling bar that was down in the weight room and players could make their own shakes after working out. So let alone the food safety issues. It's like, oh my God, but other things. When they made their own, the blender sat for days, it's like you know, and then during a pandemic, that all went away, thank God, because nobody thought it was safe to do that, and it hasn't returned.
Leslie Bonci:So we have our smoothie station, so to speak, in the cafeteria, and if guys want something, somebody's making it for them, which I think is always better, because you don't know where those hands have been before they like no, and, however, maybe a handful of guys that do, and it's primarily the guys that A, they don't really have a big appetite, they don't really feel like eating, so they just want something to drink or are hard gainers. Most everybody else they don't, they just don't. So even though those things are algebraic, oh, all professional athletes use them no, they don't. But we also have great food. We have great food.
Dr. Megan Riehl:So that really helps. You're hearing the science of all of this right, and so to our listeners, if you are somebody that's making your way from 5K to half marathon to marathon, or you have a kid that is in travel sports and doing a lot on the weekends and throughout the week, think about a consult with a dietician just to make sure that you're on the right track and, you know, also just to give a lot of different ideas. That's what I always take away from my amazing dietician colleagues is you guys have the ideas of ways to get this in and, I think, also dispelling some of the myths or even just the pressure of oh, you have to spend this much money on the protein and the supplements and the you know all these different things. You might be able to get it especially from what you're saying just by eating. Eating food is part of the equation here.
Leslie Bonci:You know I would agree, and I think you know the dietitian really the sports dietitian in particular and if somebody's having underlying GI issues those that have the niche in understanding digestive diseases is that should be part of the fuel kit. You know that's as important as the cleats, the goggles, the skates, the stick, the whatever else it is that athletes need is to really think about it and kind of ask yourself the question of the why. Before we buy, especially when it comes to the supplement, look and see what is in those products, because there may be something there that might not necessarily give somebody the outcome that they're looking for.
Kate Scarlata:That's right, it's outcome and it's also from a symptom standpoint. But also, too, when you're eating food, you're getting so much else with it. I always say that with fiber, and I would like to talk about carbs and fiber next. But I encourage my patients to eat the food with fiber the chia seeds, the kiwi fruit, the strawberries, the raspberries because they're getting polyphenols and they're getting other antioxidants and vitamin C and all this other important stuff to keep us going. So let's talk about fiber and carb needs in the competitive athlete. We know that fiber fuels our gut microbes and, of course, as a GI dietitian, I'm all about fibers, different types of fibers, different types of plants. We always talk about just fiber, but it's really. There's fibers, there's different kinds and they do different things. So what are your tips to help the people that you work with the elite athletes to get their carbon fiber needs? What are some of the ways you do that?
Leslie Bonci:Okay. So, and first of all, you have to kind of tag team to what you had just mentioned. When it's the food thing and we see this play out all the time If you were eating a plate of food, you're using a utensil and chances are your behind is in the chair and you're eating. When you're just grabbing a bar or a shake, you might be walking around, you've got your beets on, you're doing all this other stuff, you're not relaxed, you're not in that frame of mind. So I think there's really something to be able to sit, to chew, to swallow, to relax. That really really helps. So, from the fiber perspective, lots of different things, and again I think kind of that concept of people hear fiber, oh, let's go more, let's be careful about what we do, let's think about ways that we might mix them in, and so I'm always a very big believer and we start with the familiar, especially with my plate.
Leslie Bonci:Some of them have a palate, like maybe a two or three year old. So the choice of foods is maybe five to six and they're done. One of the foods they love is mac and cheese. Love it, love it. That's a comfort food. Mom or grandma made it growing up. It's like okay, this is what I want. So you know, we're not going to replace that with shredded kale, because A it's green and B they won't, but you know. But I take the mac and cheese and actually puree cannellini beans so it doesn't look any different. So it's a way of bringing up the fiber and putting this flavor into something. So now we've added some more fiber, but we've done it in something that still looks familiar to that individual, doing things like oats. I mean, that really works.
Leslie Bonci:A lot of our guys find that incredibly comfortable to eat oats. They like them, and that to me is also a vehicle for how I might get protein in. So I can do overnight oats and in that regard it's like doing something like a Greek yogurt. Although we don't do them overnight, we do them the morning of in a little mason jar. It's very cute, they'll eat it. And pumpkin is also one of my things is, you know they won't always have pumpkin pie, but when the pumpkin is in the overnight oats, that looks cool and they'll eat it like, yes, and it's a vegetable and it's a fiber, and it's just an easy, easy way to ramp things up without changing the taste or the texture, which oftentimes is the thing that we need to be aware of, you know, in addition to that is, yes, we always talk about fruits, but most of the guys and I don't think it's just the cheese. If you give them the opportunity for here's a bowl of fruit, will they take that? No, if you cut it up for them, yes.
Leslie Bonci:So one of those things. Okay, if the berries are in a little cup and I don't have to take the little stems off the grape or whatever, I will eat them. If there are little spears of watermelon, we do this with freezy pops. We just puree some fruit and put it in a little freezy pop. On these days and it's going to be hot in Kansas City or St Joe's in the next two weeks. That's really refreshing and it's getting some additional fiber into them in a form that also is functioning as a fluid. So I love the idea where we can multitask with what it is that we eat. And the other thing is the sneaking in of the vegetable into some of the beverages.
Leslie Bonci:If I asked these guys to eat beets, they would run away and cry. I'm telling you now. I'm like oh, my God, no, but we did something and I took all my recipes, so they don't have them. Now they can still use them. Is the idea of a smoothie smoothie. So in that there is some beets but there's also some spinach and there's a little bit of pineapple and it's a little bit of grated turmeric and ginger, and when you blend it all up, you're not really tasting the beet, but it's actually giving them some vegetable. It's giving them some fiber, it's giving them some phytonutrients, so they're getting these other benefits that are there. That is much more than they would get out of a soda or an energy drink or a sports drink or anything like that.
Dr. Megan Riehl:That sounds delicious.
Leslie Bonci:It really is. Even my partner in crime in our other business. She hates beets. I said, just try this. She said, oh my God, that's good. So there we go.
Dr. Megan Riehl:Well and you're talking about eating is about your eyes and what feels familiar, and that you're not just gonna eat a can of cannellini beans, but if it's worked into something that is familiar and tastes good, then it gives you what you're looking for from a nutritional perspective, but also you like it, and that's important with food is that it tastes good. Right, ultimately, that's our goal.
Leslie Bonci:Well, and if we look at something, I don't like the way that looks, that's already starting the stress, stress up here and the stress in the gut is oh, that's not going to go over. Well, and because football it's all about collision. Nutrition. Right, this is a contact sport, this is not flag football. It's all about being as uncomfortable as you can when you're on the field. So when you walk in to eat, it better be about comfort, familiarity, nurture. Those are the three big things that we try and hit.
Kate Scarlata:It's like welcome to our kitchen, take a load off, sit down, enjoy how it looks, how it smells, how it tastes, all those things Critical and it kind of kicks in that parasympathetic nervous system which is you know, megan is the expert here on this, but you know that is the expert here on this. But you know that's your rest and digest. So I love, love, love the idea of sitting down and that a fork, a plate encourages you to do that. Take a, you know, some cleansing breaths, relax your gut so it can really prepare to digest that food rather than eating a bar on the run. You know, digest that food rather than eating a bar on the run.
Kate Scarlata:You know, I've been on this planet a long time and when we wanted nine kids we never had a cup holder or anything in any of our vehicles. We didn't have seatbelts, really, let's be honest. But you know, throw the kid in the back of the hatchback and go down the road. You know that was kind of how we traveled. So now it's like I feel like we're so in tune to getting fueling on the road and having to have a beverage God forbid, we're going for an hour car ride and it doesn't really encourage that relaxation and digestion process and there's so much that happens.
Leslie Bonci:I think it's fitting. And when these guys, they don't really have a lot of time to chit chat when they're on the field because they have to be doing other things, but when you sit and you eat and you can joke about things, or you know, maybe we don't ever put the football games on when they are eating lunch because it's like no, it's something funny, it's like a cartoon, it's a whatever, it's just relax. But they talk to each other, right, that's the other thing that happens at mealtime. You have conversations and people are usually smiling or they're sharing pictures of their kids or whatever it is. It's like, yes, that's precisely what should be going on. It is the comfort zone, that's exactly what we are looking for.
Dr. Megan Riehl:Well, so that comfort zone, that laughter, love in the air maybe. So I have to ask, Leslie, whether you are a fan of Taylor and Travis or not. The world is buzzing about this love story that really played out in Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium, so what's the atmosphere been like around there? I'm sure that that got the locker room and kitchen talking.
Leslie Bonci:Yeah, I mean, it's always. When you see a player with such a big smile on his face like smitten, it's adorable From Taylor's perspective. Has she gotten more women to be interested in football? Absolutely. Has she gotten more fans in Kansas City to be interested in the Chiefs? Absolutely. Should she have her own number? She should have her own number. I mean, I think it is all incredibly positive. The only thing I will say is, when I'm watching a football game, I want cameras on the field. I don't want them anywhere else, I want them on the field. That's just me. But other than that, I think it's wonderful. We will see what plays out moving forward, but it certainly made for an interesting year.
Dr. Megan Riehl:That's for sure. I probably turned into a few more games than I would have this year, and you know what? That's all right.
Kate Scarlata:That's all right, definitely, definitely. It was fun. You know, they do seem to be the most adorable little couple, so it's been a fun love story to watch unfold, during a Super Bowl no less, with her flying back from Japan or wherever in the middle of the night to be there above and beyond what happens on the field.
Leslie Bonci:They support each other, but they need we're talking, I think, before we went live is the idea of the pit crew. And the pit crew is not just the professional staff that works with the players, their family, their friends. Everybody is part of that pit crew to allow them to do what it is that they need to do. Excellent, that's right.
Kate Scarlata:All right. So let's switch gears once again, and I just last question from the nutritional realm. But what are some of the like common mistakes, diet mistakes, attempts that athletes maybe embark on, like you know, are they doing gluten-free, and I'm not saying that gluten-free might not work for some athletes, I'm not going to judge that. But you know what are some dietary mistakes that you kind of uncover and go outside of the ones that you've already mentioned.
Leslie Bonci:Okay. So the first thing I always say is I don't want elimination without justification. So you know, if you do not have a reason to cut gluten out, we don't want to do that. And first of all A because it limits the choices. B it limits the availability. So for athletes that travel all the time, you might find it a little bit of a challenge to be able to find a gluten-free pasta when you're in the middle of the country in some teeny, tiny town. Right, that is a concern. And then the cost as well.
Leslie Bonci:Secondly is, you know, sometimes dairy is kind of this assumption that, oh, if I do have dairy, it's going to cause more phlegm and mucus during activity Well no. Or it's going to cause inflammation Well no. And some people don't tolerate dairy, that is true. But across the board, if you're just taking it out, then what is the replacement? And this is the concern, the same thing with the gluten. If you take it out, what is the replacement? You're probably having less fiber, and if you hadn't been optimal with your protein, then now this is another issue is where are we going to replace that from?
Leslie Bonci:Third is the people that are enamored with as low as we can go, kind of the limbo approach to carbohydrate. Well, that's bad and just don't have it and let's just be keto. Let's not if we are an athlete, because carbohydrate is the primary fuel substrate for exercise. It is 50% of the fuel substrate. For endurance activity, it is 100% of the substrate. When we are looking at high intense activity, protein is not really the desired option there, so that can be a problem. Plus, the role of carbohydrate plays in fluid balance, so you know this is double screwed if you minimize your carbohydrate intake.
Leslie Bonci:And then you know, I think the fourth is maybe an undue reliance on supplementation, and part of that is the advertising of them is oh, if I use this, I too will have an arm that looks like a tree trunk. And so you know, the purpose of supplements is to complement eating. It's not a replacement for and I think sometimes people forget about that or I don't eat well, but I take a lot of supplements and you have a well-supplemented, crappy diet and there's obsession with collagen. It's a poor quality protein. That is not the same thing as using proteins that actually have quality in them.
Leslie Bonci:There have not been studies that have demonstrated that it helps at all from a muscle preservation, maybe a little bit from the chondrocyte perspective and cartilage regeneration, but there have been a very few studies and they haven't all shown that that is the case. And even when we're looking at what's happening with our appearance, well, that's also an issue of question is how effective is collagen? And the price, and that's the other thing. I think the myth is you have to pay a lot for it, no, and then you do and guess what? You don't have the money left over to do the other things that you really need to do with your eating those are my big myths.
Kate Scarlata:I love that. And for clarification, for maybe just a little intel on hydration and sodium needs how does an individual know that they're hydrated? Do you rely on their pee color? Do you rely on weight checks pre and post? And then sodium I'm a huge sweater. I run. I'm bright red in the face. It's just always been that way. I played field hockey. I was always really just ripping. Am I just because I'm bright red in the face? It's just always been that way. I played field hockey. I was always really just ripping. Am I just because I'm sweating more? Do I need more salt? Are there some indicators that some of us need more salt than others?
Leslie Bonci:Yeah, I played field hockey. I played field hockey in high school. I was awesome, very fun A million years ago. First of all, with the hydration how do we know A million years ago? So, first of all, with the hydration, how do we know? I always quote what Dr Bob Murray says. He's one of the experts in hydration in the world and his take is that we need to be voiding at least five times a day, not counting the first one in the morning. So when none of us are camels oh, I went once over the day that should be a cause for concern. And typically our morning urine is going to be darker, more concentrated. If we slept all night long, we have a long period of time without fluid. When we are looking at the color of fluid, with the exception of the morning, void is ideally more the color of lemonade. So if somebody's urine is the color of apple juice, again red flag, that is a concern. So really looking more light and lots not necessarily clear, devoid of color, but definitely enough fluid. And to me, a really important time is what's happening in that hour or two before you exercise, when you void. If your urine is dark and scanty, you better start sipping. That's really important to put that fluid in. So there actually was an app. It was called See your Pee. It's not available anymore because I think people peed on the phone and then it's like you know what do you do when you go to AT&T. So, anyway, we can use our own eyes and we don't necessarily have to post that for the world to see. There are a lot of urine charts out there. They're available online. We have them posted in the locker rooms all the time so that everybody can see the color of their urine very, very well From the sodium loss perspective.
Leslie Bonci:And then, yes, there are some people that are salty sweaters. So when we sweat, what are we losing? We are losing fluid. We are losing sodium is the electrolyte that's lost in the largest amount in the sweat. We're also losing some potassium, a little bit of calcium, a little bit of zinc, magnesium, other things, but they're in relatively small amounts. So that's also a point when people are looking for product. Oh, I bought something with no sodium but it has a lot of zinc. That's not going to be helpful.
Leslie Bonci:So salty sweaters and that's usually me, I mean, I feel like I'm crusty when I am done exercising. I can, my skin is gritty and I don't live near a beach. My clothes sometimes have white on them. I remember working with one of the baseball pitchers for the Nats and his entire brim and cap white. That's not dandruff, it is dandruff. I said, no, that's not dandruff, that is salt. Your sweat burns your eyes, it tastes very, very salty in your mouth.
Leslie Bonci:Those can all be telltale signs that you are a salt loser, and so that means you actually have to consume more things with salt, and what I typically recommend in that regard and we see that with a lot of our endurance athletes, the ultras, the triathletes, et cetera is cook your rice in a chicken broth or a vegetable broth that adds some sodium. Use soy sauce in something you know. Add salt to the foods. Pick something like a saltine it has salt in the title or the little goldfish crackers or those types of things, and I'm a very big believer in those little packets of salt. They're so cheap to do that. That's a really easy thing to add a little bit of salt to your beverage as a way of helping to offset.
Leslie Bonci:You're not going to replace 100% the losses during exercise, because it would be nauseating, but we can do a better job of like pre-salted what's happening in those days leading up to the events or long runs or whatever, because if we don't, we usually feel pretty miserable. And if we don't a lot of water, not enough salt what happens when you're running? It's like, oh, what's that noise? Oh, it's a lake in my stomach. You just kind of feel like one of those clown things like in the middle. All this stuff that's going nowhere. That's incredibly uncomfortable, so we want to stay on top of it. Pickles is another one. We have to be our big pickle fan. This weekend is Picklesburg and this bird every year. Is pickle in any way. Shape imaginable. The fermentation nation, here we are, but nonetheless is the idea of all those things are really important. Salt is not the enemy, especially if you are a salt loser. You got to be vigilant about it.
Kate Scarlata:Yeah, I love that, because I definitely see that white crust when my husband's working out not to call him out, he's, he's a salt sweater and I am definitely lose a lot of sodium so and I crave salt, so I definitely crave it. So I think, yeah, that's also can be a little telltale. All right, well, we have taken so much of your time. I just have one last question. What do you do to prioritize your health and well-being, keeping yourself in check day to day?
Leslie Bonci:Okay, I love that question. So first of all, I think, working with athletes, you do need to walk the walk because otherwise you get called out immediately. So I have in my life been a big time runner and also big time brist walker. I've taken up rowing in the past couple of years and love it. I also strength train regularly and I dance. Those are things that make me happy.
Leslie Bonci:From a fitness perspective, I do try and take a little chill out time daily I'm not great about it but I'm getting better which is divorce from the screens in any way, shape or form and just kind of sit and chill and center and calm. And from the eating perspective, I really love to find that intuition in the kitchen and having fun. I'm all about creating new recipes. I truly, the original spice girl, is just trying new things and getting the little ones involved in the kitchen as well. This is what my husband and I really like to do, because then it's a chance to sit and create and cultivate. So all of those things with a more positive message and also realizing at the age of almost 68 at this point, I don't need to be what I was in my 20s and 30s. It's not about that it's not keeping up. It is keeping on. That is my attitude every day.
Dr. Megan Riehl:I love that. You're amazing. Keeping on, yes, yes.
Leslie Bonci:Oh my God, this was great, loved it.
Dr. Megan Riehl:It was perfect and you're giving us holistic health. It's mind, body, spirit. So thank you to all of our friends out there. Thank you so much. Please subscribe and follow, as well as like The Gut Health Podcast. Your support means the world rate and leave us a comment. You can also follow us on social media at The Gut Health Podcast, where we'd love for you to share your thoughts, questions and experiences. Thanks for tuning in, friends.
