DrClydeWilson's NUTRITION BLOG

My mom's work: Jean Higgins / Dazy Del'Aware

My mom's pen name is Dazy Del'Aware for her writing on personal development. Here is a link to photos from her life that are relevant to this work: http://picasaweb.google.com/dazydelaware Read more →

Blood sugar levels for athletes

Clyde; What would be an ideal pre-race blood sugar level for an elite distance runner? (5K and up). Peter RESPONSE: Normal blood sugar levels are tightly controlled around 5 mM i.e. 100 mg/dL by the hormones glucagon and insulin. This... Read more →

What to eat before 2 hrs fighter-jet training

Clyde, I am in naval aviation and am currently training in jets. I was at one of your NROTC UC berkeley lectures a few years ago and I was wondering how your advice would apply to my line of work.... Read more →

Nutrients and gastroinestinal function

Question: Any way a regular diet and exercise program is important for regular bowel function Answer: Hydration and fiber level are important for regular bowel function. I do not know if exercise assists in long-term bowel function, but the sympathetic... Read more →

fueling for high-intensity bursts, long competition day

Hello Mirtha, Fueling for high intensity burst of energy is not different for fueling for a 10, 20, 30 or even 60 minute event. The reason for this is that during high intensity bursts the muscles take in fuel faster... Read more →

salt and other additives in seasonings

There are two things to think about when choosing a seasoning to sprinkle on foods. The first is that many spices (such as cumin, thyme, dried parsley, etc) are very high in phytonutrients even though they are not fresh and... Read more →

Addressing the hunger part of cravings

Hunger is due to the hormonal response to low blood sugar and a concurrent empty stomach (which actually has pressure sensors when full to reduce hunger even if blood sugar is low). Salad or vegetables have the most bulk per... Read more →

vitamin water and EmergenC

Hello Larry, EmergenC is an interesting product. It capitolizes on Linus Pauling's work promoting 50,000 mg of vitamin C per day, but neither Linus Pauling nor the company making EmergenC has ever published peer-reviewed scientific data showing that vitamin C... Read more →

Exercise damage & fitness level determines recovery time frame

Hello, Dr. Clyde, this is Emmanuel. Lastly, I have a question about the Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) that you were speaking about during that seminar. You said that when DOMS occurs, that is when your satellite cells are rebuilding... Read more →

Sequential series of recovery windows as you change body parts during exercised

Hello, Dr. Clyde, this is Emmanuel again. I recall you speaking about the muscle recovery window and how if you exercise one muscle group, then the recovery window for the muscle group begins and shuts down in about 20 minutes... Read more →

Eating to increase muscle and drop body fat simultaneously

Hello, Dr. Clyde, this is Emmanuel. I recently attended your seminar at UC Berkeley with the NROTC, there were a couple of questions I forgot to ask you, so I'm back again. I have this main goal in mind: I... Read more →

Protein to carb ratio for exercise

Clyde, After doing many hours of research into strength training recovery drinks, mixture and amounts of CHO/Pro/AA, and timing the following trends have emerged: 1) Intake of a CHO/Pro drink of at least a 3:1 and at most 4:1 has... Read more →

MSG

Dr Wilson, Is MSG bad for us and if so, why? Thank you. Hello CH, I do not know the answer to your question. The two most recent comprehensive reviews on the topic indicate that there are no statistically significant... Read more →

Does B1 repel insects?

Just a fitness trainer for SCFD with a question. Just noticed a patch on the market that claims to repel mosquitos, ticks, etc. by releasing Vitamin B1 into the blood stream. Take a look at this product and advise on... Read more →

Why strength training should come before endurance training

Hi Clyde, I've heard that there is a difference in results if cardiovascular training comes before or after weight training. I am wondering what are the differences. Also, if cardiovascular training is done afterwards, how long does it have to... Read more →

Increasing vegetable intake, particularly before intensive exercise: Pacing

Lloyd, Good point. While increasing vegetable intake is the single most important thing anyone can do to increase their health, energy levels, disease prevention and body fat loss, increasing vegetable intake quickly from one day to the next can lead... Read more →

Performance Eating: How much, what foods and when

Hello Erik; There is an obvious need for sufficient calories during intenstive training. Not so obvious are the specific macronutrient and micronutrient needs of the body and the fact that many nutrients are not easily stored by the body, forcing... Read more →

Is trans fat damage reversible?

Darwin, I cannot give you any current research evidence from the literature showing whether trans fat damage to the body is permament or not. We do understand some of the biochemical pathways negatively impacted by trans fats, and we know... Read more →

Antidote for trans fat poisening

Erica; My best advice for counter-acting the ill effects of a trans fat "over-dose" would be to consume unprocessed polyunsaturated fats. Since oils containing polyunsaturated fats (sunflower, safflower, canola, etc) may have been processed without your knowing about it, I... Read more →

Meat substitutes

Hi Nicole; I think meat substitutes are healthy so long as they do not include the standard ingredients that cause colon cancer (carrageenan, nitrates, nitrites), large amounts of refined carbohydrate (maltodextrin), sugars (high fructose corn sweetener, cane juice, sucrose, etc)... Read more →

Egg yolk question from a triathlete

Hello Christi; I as I wrote in my blog article on eggs and egg yolks, I disagree with the common wisdom that egg yolks are bad for us. Rather, I believe it is the over-all diet that is a problem.... Read more →

Death by Diet: Trans Fats

“From the standpoint of effects on blood lipids, there is no question that trans fatty acids are worse than any other possible source of calories in the diet.” [1] -- Alberto Ascherio, MD, Dr. P.H., Harvard School of Public Health... Read more →

"Unhappy Meals" by Michael Pollen

Michael Pollen is an journalism professor at Cal who wrote The Omnivore's Dilemma (I highly recommend this book or the audio version; I did the latter). He wrote an extremely good article in the New York Times Magazine in 2007.... Read more →

Carb load directions

Hi Dr. Clyde, I'm from Cal Tri and am racing in my first IM race next Sunday in Arizona. I've read a lot about Carb loading, and was wondering what you thought and the best way to maximize the amount... Read more →

17 April UCSF Talk add/info written by UCSF

Fueling Well = Feeling Well Tuesday, April 17 12:00 – 1:00 pm Genentech Auditorium, Mission Bay Students: you may be knowledgeable about healthy eating choices but are often in situations that stymie you: tired, broke, studying, away from home, stressed,... Read more →

The Water Cure

Greetings Clyde, You gave a presentation at South Hills Community Church in San Jose in late 2006. I approached you after your great presentation and asked about "The Water Cure." You hadn't heard of it and, from my observation, seemed... Read more →

How to get my book

Purchase my book here: http://www.lulu.com/content/543011 To have a signed copy sent to you: I have the original printing of my book (done at Kinko's) and can have a copy mailed to you. Email Nadia, the administrator at SMI where I... Read more →

Protein needs for exercise

The DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) guidelines for protein intake is 0.8 g / kg / day assuming relatively high protein bioavailability i.e. a diet including soy and/or animal-derived products (SEE MY POST ON THIS BY CLICKING HERE). The DRI conclusions... Read more →

Your protein needs: DRI & RDA

The most recent meta-analysis of human protein needs [Rand RM, Pellett PL, Young VR. Meta-analysis of nitrogen balance studies for estimating protein requirements in healthy adults. Am J Clin Nutr 77 (2003) 109] confirms the conclusions of earlier studies used... Read more →

Helping a young athlete get to Nationals

Hi Clyde -- Just wanted to let you know that we saw great results this weekend from the dietary changes you recommended for [our daughter]. On Saturday she placed second in the region in the 800 with a time of... Read more →

Changing a Teenager's Life

Dear Clyde, I cannot begin to thank you for your wonderful seminar last night. There is so much I want to tell you, but I will try to keep this short. I heard you speak (with Sunnny) at a seminar... Read more →

2006 consultation feedback

Hi Dr. Wilson, Thank you so much for your help. I am already feeling much better, less dehydrated, and have been sleeping very well. It has been fairly easy to switch my diet around too and I feel like I... Read more →

Nutritional health during Ramadan

Eating only when the sun is not up for spiritual health does NOT need to conflict with physical health. The answer is very simple: Use the concept of caloric pacing (slowing down digestion) but take it particularly seriously for one... Read more →

2006 seminar attendee comments

Hello Dr. Wilson - I have attended several of your talks at UCSF, and enjoyed them very much...Thank you so much for your response [to my questions], and for your lectures. They are wonderful, and have helped me lose 15-20... Read more →

Basis of 1 L or Qt water / 1000 Cal & WHY FRUIT JUICE DOES NOT HYDRATE YOU VERY WELL

The Dietary Reference Intakes (that have replaced the Recommended Dietary Allowances) recommend roughly 1 gallon of water intake for the adult male and 3/4 gallon for the adult female, regardless of their height, weight, etc. I appreciate that since water... Read more →

HILARIOUS: My "Chuck Norris" Take-No-Prisoners Diet (and blender)

After I gave seminar for the Cal (UC Berkeley) Triathlon Club last year, one of the attendees (Adrian) posted the following on their chat forum. It is HILARIOUS. Click the title to go to Adrian's post: "Dr. Clyde and Chuck... Read more →

"Intuitive Eating" or the "No-Diet Diet": Eat whatever you want and lose weight

Below is the link to an article describing a Professor who lost a lot of weight eating whatever he wanted but ONLY ate when hungry and STOPPED eating when not hungry. This was after many years of struggling with diets.... Read more →

Really GETTING my nutrition philosophy

On 7 March 2007 I gave a triathlon & marathon nutrition seminar at UCSF. Here is what one of the attendees (Jesse) posted on his blog the next day: "I went to a nutrition workshop last night expecting an extremely... Read more →

My CORE Philosophy

1. The most important thing in the world is PEOPLE. Each person should show their respect for themselves by taking care of themselves and living life to the fullest while helping others to do the same. 2. Taking care of... Read more →

Glucose foods are critical but you must slow down their digestion whenever possible

Clyde, Yesterday and today I deliberately ate more glucose-bearing foods: - whole wheat bread with a small amount of peanut butter - a modest amount of sourdough (white) bread - hearty rye crisps ...and I'm pretty sure it it is... Read more →

Greater performance with glucose pacing

Clyde, Today I had my best workout ever in terms of the ratio of watts/pmax (pmax = % max HR), as well as pure watts on LT threshold repeat ascents of Old La Honda. I dunno if watts/pmax is a... Read more →

Christopher Gardner's research "supporting" the Atkin's Diet

Christopher Gardner is a personal friend of mine who a is Professor in Preventative Medicine at Stanford. He and I give lectures in each other's classes, and he is providing feedback on my current nutrition interventions with athletes (I have... Read more →

Click on "Permalink" below

TO POSTE A QUESTION / COMMENT: Click on either 'Permalink' or 'Comments' right below this message and scroll down through the comments until you see "Post a Comment" where you type in your question. If you already know what category... Read more →

TNT talk 15 Feb 2007

From Ron: Dr. Wilson, I loved your talk at the Team in Training workout last Thursday. I was struck by your description of "chronic dehydration," because it reflects what I've been experiencing for a long time. Thanks for the awareness.... Read more →

Butter substitutes: Earth Balance and Smart Balance are GOOD for you

I was wondering is Smart Balance [non hydrogenated]a good alternative to Butter or Margerine?? Thanks for your help! I just was made aware of you from my friend Karen in CA...I will call again! Rick ANSWER: Hi Rick. Yes, Smart... Read more →

Calculating caloric needs during training

Hey Clyde- I just joined Team in Training and am wondering about nutrition for training. I would like to know what's an appropriate amount of calories to consume in order to maintain and even lose some weight during vigorous training.... Read more →

Vegetables, corn, carbs, insulin resistance & breast cancer risk

I recently saw the report on NBC 11.com concerning food we eat and breast cancer risk. You stated that "a half cup of corn per day is shown in research to increase breast cancer risk 25%." Then you later gave... Read more →

Caffeine, coffee, tea & diuresis

I attended a lecture you gave about maximizing muscle recovery during high intensity training. I had a question about caffeine. How much caffeine can you drink per day in season, and are there particular times during the day it is... Read more →

Water options: My personal recommendations

Doc, I just read Natural Cures by Kevin Trudeau. I am now looking into installing a reverse osmosis system in my house. My question is twofold, first, is this the best type of water source (as opposed to bottled etc.)... Read more →

TNT fundraising. How technical should my book be?

Clyde, I went to your seminar last night. Thanks for your talk, and fundraising for TNT. BOOK FEEDBACK: I liked the beginning foundation material in your seminar; it helps put things in perspective. You should include that in the book.... Read more →