185. Softball & Baseball Fueling, "Healthy" Weight Gain, and Easy Cooking with Angie Asche, RD

This episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast is with sports dietitian Angie Asche. Angie specializes in helping baseball and softball athletes fuel, and this is the theme of our conversation. We talk about caffeine consumption in athletes, and the effect of energy drinks and other stimulants on performance and sleep. Angie and I give listeners advice for fueling late night training and competition, and the importance of sleep. When sleep is disrupted, meal timings can be too, and breakfast is often sacrificed. We highlight why athletes need to consume a “wake up” snack to help optimize their performance and recovery, not to mention body composition and mood. For baseball and softball athletes playing multiple times a week for many months, their daily diet is their competition diet, and we chat about how athletes can fuel back-to-back competition, as well as how different players can understand their individual energy requirements. Snacking throughout the day is necessary for athletes, and Angie gives recommendations that focus on whole foods, antioxidants, and polyphenols. 
Whether it’s for your sport, health, RED-S and hormonal recovery, or any number of reasons, weight gain is a goal for many athletes. Angie and I discuss “healthy weight gain” and muscle gain, with strategies for athletes needing to increase their energy intake. Angie introduces her cookbook “Fuel Your Body”, which is targeted at busy athletes with limited cooking knowledge and resources. Many of her meals can be made without cooking in an athlete’s room, and lots are plant-based.
TOPIC TIMESTAMPS:
2:15 Angie’s athletics and nutrition background
7:35 Nutrition for baseball and softball athletes 
10:55 Meal timing and frequency: breakfast, around training/ competitions 
13:05 Caffeine and energy drinks
16:05 Stimulant, sleep, and appetite use in athletes for energy
18:35 Nutrition during long competition seasons; when your game day diet is your daily diet
20:30 Variable energy needs based on training; using technology to estimate needs 
23:00 Recovery nutrition: antioxidants, fruits and vegetables, nuts (almonds)
26:15 Healthy weight and muscle gain tips: “mass = gas” 
36:00 Angie’s cookbook “Fuel Your Body” helping busy student athletes cook with minimal resources
Check out Angie’s business “Eleat Sports Nutrition” and her cookbook “Fuel Your Body”
Follow Angie on Instagram @eleatnutrition and your host, Lindsey Cortes, @female.athlete.nutrition 
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