What's Going Down, Sugar Daddy?
By Michael K. Golay
last updated:
03/27/07 |
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Camp below the Easton Glacier, Mt. Baker, North Cascades. |
I'm going to try to make this brief, as the topic is both relatively simple yet medically and physiologically concerned. As such, rather than blather on about the latter, in which I have no training or knowledge other than what I've read, I will keep this short.
In the Fall of 2000 I began to notice, as did my partners, a very marked lack of endurance while climbing or training. Where I had felt strong months before, I struggled. It was not a lack of physical strength, per se, it was a nagging and sometimes frightening lack of energy that I was experiencing. The problem manifest itself in fatigue, loss of coordination, balance, and, as it would, confidence. I was lethargic even at work and at my worst even struggled to put sentences together in conversation. A string of misdiagnoses and coincidence with other physical ailments (strep throat, mild TMJ, ear infection, high blood pressure) confused the issue. Finally, a glucose level test revealed [and here many doctors disagree, I only know what I feel] hypoglycemia - an inability to maintain a relatively consistent blood sugar level. My mother has suffered from diabetes (which is not hypoglycemia, but can be the result if hypoglycemia goes untreated) since her teens. I have always been on the lookout for any adverse blood sugar symptoms. The encouraging news was that the condition, which is mild and can be easily managed, is quite common. Many people don't even know they have sensitivites to glucose levels, nor are they aware of the benefits of paying attention. For some, the manifestations are far more noticable than others. For me, it got bad enough that I had to pay attention. Climbing, with its associated exposure and occasional mental gymnastics brought it all to a head. Something had to be done before I hurt myself or my partner.
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The Glycemic Index |
|
Foods |
GI |
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peanuts |
10 |
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soybeans |
15 |
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fructose |
20 |
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broccoli |
25 |
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lentils |
25 |
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grapefruit |
30 |
|
kidney beans |
31 |
|
yogurt |
32 |
|
milk |
~35 |
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ice cream |
35 |
|
apples |
36 |
|
beans (canned) |
40 |
|
oranges |
40 |
|
grapes |
44 |
|
buckwheat pancakes |
45 |
|
oatmeal |
48 |
|
sweet potatoes |
48 |
|
peas (frozen) |
53 |
|
pastas |
~55 |
|
brown rice |
60 |
|
candy bars |
~60 |
|
whole wheat bread |
64 |
|
bananas |
65 |
|
shredded wheat |
65 |
|
raisins |
68 |
|
white potatoes |
70 |
|
white rice |
70 |
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corn chips |
~70 |
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rice cakes |
~75 |
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corn |
75 |
|
white bread |
76 |
|
cereal (most) |
~80 |
|
honey |
87 |
|
carrots |
90 |
|
glucose |
100 |
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Source: How to Climb 5.12, Eric J. Hörst |
In Eric Hörst's How to Climb 5.12, the author covers what he calls The Glycemic Index in the FAQ section of his book. I have reproduced the chart at right. Essentially, the lower a food's glucose content, the less the body's insulin levels are affected by the food. Foods with higher glucose content tend to spike sugar levels, first providing a surge of energy to the climber, but soon dropping rapidly, leaving the climber with a considerably lower level of energy. Ideally for an activity like climbing or any endurance-oriented pursuit or sport, the body needs long-burning, slow-to-break-down fuel. Stable insulin levels allow a climber to perform for longer periods of time and maintain a more constant energy level. Again, some people feel the effects of the glucose rollercoaster more than others. Perhaps it was age and/or changing metabolism that triggered my increased susceptibility. I only knew that I had to do something.
I went skiing one day with a friend from work who pulled out some snacks from a pack on the lift. A wrapper on an energy bar bore a diabetic-approved seal. I asked if he suffered from the disease. He said no, but he was hypoglycemic. As he began to talk about his symptoms and subsequent diet to combat them, I felt as if I was talking to my twin self. We kept in touch and talked a bit more, and I decided to make some changes in what I consumed.
It took a lot of experimenting with diet - probably two months - before I started to feel noticibly better. The first thing to go was mocha frappucino. You may laugh, but I had been drinking a bottle of the stuff every morning for two years. When I told my friend about this habit, he flatly replied that drinking something like that in the morning on an empty stomach would ruin his whole day. I've gone to cappuccino and one raw sugar packet. I could probably go latté. We all have our weaknesses.
A major change that I made was cutting out alcohol completely from my diet - something that would probably shock people who have known me for a long time. I do very occasionally cheat - I have a beer or a glass of wine perhaps once every other month, or on special occasions. I quit drinking because it made me feel awful for days on end. Alcohol has a very high GI. A beer quickly spikes my glucose level, which then nosedives and leaves me nearly comatose (and then, later, pays a visit by way of insomnia). It got to the point that it was taking days for my sugar levels to stabilize after drinking beer, wine or liquor. It really wasn't a hard decision to make or carry out in practice. I felt that bad.
Carbonated beverages that had been in the past abused (four Cokes a day or more) were now discarded. I drink water or unsweetened iced tea with meals or at breaks. Additionally, I try not to drink anything containing caffeine later than 2pm, because I like to sleep.
There is a history of heart disease in my family. At various points in my life I have abstained from eating red meat. Just before I started to feel badly in 2000 I had again cut it out of my diet, as my blood pressure had been creeping up and I figured it wasn't a bad idea.
But here's the catch. Protein and fat tends to slow glycemic breakdown and moderate glucose levels. It made sense then, that when I cut meat out of my diet (and made no other changes) I started to feel worse. Now I eat meat maybe twice a week. I try to time red meat consumption before climbs. There is another downside: weight. Because I eat more protein and fat, I have to work out more to maintain consistent body weight (read: not get fat) and stay in shape. It's a tradeoff. I'd rather work than feel like crap.
As far as the rest of my diet goes, I try to eat optimally on and around climbs. I've found that, in particular, a high consumption of protein helps tremendously. For food in camp, I usually have to coordinate a bit with partners and I will often bring my own food. For quick bites on routes, some foods work better than others. Balance bars in particular seem to work well. Like many, I consume a lot of GU, but I try to also eat some kind of natural food like peanuts and low-GI dried fruit to maintain a balance. In everyday life I eat out a lot and it takes a little work and hunting sometimes, but quite often foods that are composed of complex (read: slow to break down and usually lower-GI) carbohydrates are available. You just have to know what you're looking for. Foods that are primarily simple (read: quickly broken down and usually higher-GI) carbohydrates are more plentiful than you might think. It takes a little research and experimentation to learn what to eat, what to avoid, and when. And, as I've mentioned, everyone's reaction to food is a little different.
Foods high in glycemic content do have their benefits. They are good to intake at the end of a workout or climb. According to Hörst, "Intense exercise primes the muscles to immediately reload energy resrves in the form of glycogen. High blood sugar and the insulin spike help drive this repletion process. The optimal 'window' for these high GI foods is the first two hours following exercise. After that, favor low- to medium-index foods for slow, steady refueling."
If any of this sounds familiar to you, or even if it doesn't, you might want to look at your diet and do some experimenting. The changes I've made gave me a second shot at climbing. I had very nearly quit.
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