"athletes" news and stories

If you've ever run a race - or missed a meal - you know the name "Clif Bar." Packed with protein and carbs, these pocket-sized portions can get you through a tough race or a long meeting.

Between energy bars, sports gel, and even kids' granola bars, the Clif family has sure made a name for itself. So now that they've conquered the sports food arena, why not go for something a little more...laid-back?

Clif Bar's owners, Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford, fueled by motivation, entrepreneurial spirit, and probably a few bites of Maple Nut-flavored Clif bar, are now pouring their energy into wine. The Clif Bar Family Winery focuses on sustainably-farmed and organic grapes, and the collection includes a white and red both named "The Climber," as well as a zinfandel, a syrah, and others.

Energy bar to wine might not be the most obvious transition, but since they opened up shop in 2004, things seem to be going just swimmingly for the Clif Bar family.

A study in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism revealed that chocolate milk is at least as good as popular sports drinks for helping the body recover after exercise. As Nick pointed out, athletes who drank the chocolate milk and the Gatorade performed equally well when asked to exercise again. Athletes who drank Endurox R4, a sports drink with protein added in the same ratio as milk, only performed half as well, indicating that perhaps some property of milk - say, the chocolate - might be helping the performance of the athletes as well.

Could it be the antioxidants in the chocolate that are helping? An 8-ounce glass of low-fat chocolate milk will have about 200 calories and 3 grams of fat, while an 8-ounce glass of Gatorade has only 55 calories. Though some people worry about the seemingly high number of calories in the milk, the extra calories are not only healthy, but can provide extra energy to athletes in the long run.

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The wonderful food that Turin, Italy is famous for is not making its way onto the plates of the Olympic athletes. In fact, there have been numerous complaints about the food, including accusations of food poisoning from the Canadian curling team. Athletes from all over the world, including America and Lithuania, are saying that they "expected more from an Italian kitchen" and wonder "how can you screw up pasta?" Because the Olympic Village is not in a central location, with athletes spread over many villages, the food is not all being prepared by the same kitchen staff. Some athletes are fortunate enough to have a personal or team nutritionist who will prepare all their meals, while others can only look forward to the time that they can spend in Turin itself, sampling the city's non-Olympic offerings.

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With playoffs approaching, the Wall Street Journal revealed (by subscription) how the diet of football players has changed over the years, as players in the NFL have faced fad diets and had to meet increasingly high physical standards. The new approach to feeding players is a "nutrient timing" strategy. This approach is designed to continually replenish the body with the nutrients, carbohydrates and proteins that are consumed during workouts, as well as other daily activities. Nutrient timing is gaining popularity in other sports, as well as simply among anyone who exercises on a regular basis.

The meals and snacks on the players' diet aren't the tater-tots and chicken wings that were served to players who wanted to "bulk up" in the 1980s and 1990s, though. As regulatory groups crack down on the use of performance enhancing substances, the teams look to nutritionists to maximise their abilities. Protein filled snacks include peanut butter sandwiches and yogurt, while balanced dinners have options like roasted pork loin and baked cod with red pepper coulis, accompanied by sides like potatoes and salad.

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