USRowing Director of Sports Nutrition Talks Snacks, Supplements, Olympic Preparation

USRowing athletes are fortunate to have access to quality snacks from Gutzy and supplements from Thorne throughout the final stages of Olympic preparation. Learn how our high performance staff chose these products and how our athletes incorporate them into their daily lives.

Gutzy Organic

Gutzy pouches contain puréed fruits and vegetables, plus prebiotic fiber from acacia. Research has shown that acacia fiber feeds gut bacteria in the bifidobacterium and lactobacillus families. These microorganisms positively influence athletes' immune function, digestion, vitamin and mineral absorption, and even recovery from upper respiratory tract infections and the common cold.

We like Gutzy pouches for their ease of transport and tasty flavors. Try them semi-frozen with cold chocolate milk after practice; it's a great way to add a boost of nutrition to a post-exercise snack.

Thorne

Thorne is a unique supplement company because of the stringency of their production and their extensive catalog of NSF Certified for Sport tested products. Here are some of our favorites:

Florasport is a shelf-stable probiotic supplement. Whereas prebiotics are the food for beneficial gut bacteria, probiotics are the live and active cultures themselves, and Thorne's product contains some lacto- and bifido- strains that the fiber in the Gutzy pouch feeds. These can either be taken daily or in preparation for a trip. It's particularly helpful for athletes who struggle with respiratory or GI issues around travel and racing, or who don't eat many fermented dairy products (e.g. yogurt, kefir).

Whey Protein Isolate is great to have on hand to make nearly anything a complete meal or snack. Try blending up a smoothie with a frozen banana, a handful of strawberries, any liquid, a spoonful of PB and a scoop of chocolate whey. No time? Grab a bagel or a pastry and pair it with a scoop in some cold water!

Creatine Monohydrate fuels an energy system that we tap into during the initial 30 seconds of all-out efforts. Creatine supplementation helps it "reload" faster, improving the quality of the effort and therefore the potential for adaptation. When there is a strength training focus or when shorter, all-out efforts are incorporated into training (like in race prep), that's when creatine might be utilized.

Beta Alanine is part of a molecule called carnosine that buffers acids in muscle tissue, delaying fatigue and improving performance in all out efforts lasting up to 10 minutes. This makes it uniquely suited to being planned into the racing season, but it does need to be planned! Higher doses must be taken for at least four weeks, followed by a lower dose for four to six more, to potentially observe a performance benefit.

Additional Resources

Food first, and always: Athlete Plates & Recovery Fact Sheet

How we choose supplements: AIS Sport Supplement Framework, Group A

Understanding third-party tested supplements: NSF's Certified for Sport and Informed Sport's We Test You Trust

We are so grateful for the support of Gutzy and Thorne as we continue towards Paris 2024! We'll see you on the podium.