Best foods for skaters-different by country?

[Blades of Passion]

One might quite unintentionally support destructive beliefs and attitudes.

Don't you think someone needs to be educated about said "destructive beliefs and attitudes" in order to know if/why their viewpoint is wrong? How else would someone know they had been unintentionally supporting it to begin with?

Knowledge and perspective is important and the internet and message boards are vital resources for further eduction. We all need to share what we believe with each other and hopefully, after assessing all of the different viewpoints and data out there, we all come to a greater shared understanding about a topic.

This is a good thread. Nutrition is extremely overlooked. The vast majority of people really don't understand exactly how bad certain foods are for them and what benefits they can get out of lesser-known foods. The original poster is wondering exactly what Mirai and Caroline are eating. Why is this a bad question? Athletes in most other sports give in-depth interviews on the topic.

 

[Pepe Nero]

Don't you think someone needs to be educated about said "destructive beliefs and attitudes" in order to know if/why their viewpoint is wrong? How else would someone know they had been unintentionally supporting it to begin with?

Knowledge and perspective is important and the internet and message boards are vital resources for further eduction. We all need to share what we believe with each other and hopefully, after assessing all of the different viewpoints and data out there, we all come to a greater shared understanding about a topic.

In reply to your first question, Blades of Passion, yes. But I have learned to hesitate about saying much on gender topics on the internet. One of my earliest, formative experiences on GoldenSkate was a thread I started called "Feminism and Figure Skating." It was widely flamed, I was called a troll, and the thread was eventually moved to "Politics." This for suggesting that there might be some gender bias against women in the sport. Now, I am slightly more cagey.

This is a good thread. Nutrition is extremely overlooked. The vast majority of people really don't understand exactly how bad certain foods are for them and what benefits they can get out of lesser-known foods. The original poster is wondering exactly what Mirai and Caroline are eating. Why is this a bad question? Athletes in most other sports give in-depth interviews on the topic.

I find it problematic that eating issues are being raised in relation to female skaters only. Of course nutrition is important. But when the question is raised only or foremost in relation to female skaters, it suggests something far more than concern for nutrition. Let me reiterate that I mean to imply nothing about anyone's intentions. My worry is that these questions reflect a pervasive cultural attitude that women's bodies are for the public in general to judge.

 

[bebevia]

As for Yamaguchi-either just lucky and maybe the food supply was not as tainted when she was competing, plus she likely ate traditional Japanese food and stayed away from empty carbs.

She does have casual healthy diets, but more lucky; for God's blessings, she's was a professional HOTDOG EATING CHAMPION!!!

 

[noidont]

Can't speak for others, but I gained at least 15-20 pounds the first year I moved to the U.S. from China, and what's sad is that I didn't even realize how notably it was until I got back the next summer and everyone I know noticed my fat arms. Then I spent a month in China, ate like a pig and lost at least 8-10 pounds. When I went back to the U.S. I really changed my diet and went back to my normal Chinese weight. I think the problem for me was that American food is so bland that only chocolate, candies and ice cream appeals to me.

I always think the word "healthy" is misguiding. Chinese food is hardly very "healthy" in the true sense of the word. Heavy uses of spice and artificial flavors, crazy amount of cooking oil, borderline dangerous seafood variety, high calories (we eat pork fats and chicken livers here), and we overeat every single meal by and large, but it is a reasonably balanced diet, while American food relies way too heavily on diary products and sugar. I once asked a friend of mine to quit milk for a few weeks and he really slimmed down a good bit.

So in short, food matters, though I don't think Mirai and Caroline's problems are mainly from their weight gain.

 

[yyyskate]

American food is sooooooooooooooooo sweet (and I hate that....) compare to its counterpart in Asian food (Chinese, Japanese, Korea, whatever..) And I think Korean food is the leanest among all asian food.

 

[skateluvr]

Thank you for participating everyone. Obviously I agree with Blades rather than Pepe Nero. Wondering about our food supply being more pesticide laden and thus the phytoestrogen issue is a very serious issue that affects women much more than men because we store fat more easily and in female places, and not only weight gain, but the fat leads to cancers, as well as the heightened estrogen present. I repeat, all the ladies from Japan, Korea, China I have seen compete are very thin. I couldn't help but notice the different bodies Mirai and Caroline grew into. Yes, people might ignorantly flame, but the thread is really about what is happening to the American food chain. When people who skate and train 6-8 hours a day develop very differently from Asian counterparts, then one might wonder why.

Men lose weight much easier. Most men who over eat store it in there gut. I have seen men go from obese to normal in three months, while women do the same diet and do not lose weight or even gain. When women develop, they often lose the triple triples. Men do not have this issue. So yes, it is a woman's issue, and female skater/athletes's issue. I have learned new stuff, and realize I will need to someday really do more medical research, but there are many smart, educated Asians here, and living in countries I don't see, so why not ask? Yes, one does get flamed. In another thread, I did find resistence to some of my honesty re costuming, but I found more agreed than disagreed.

It is sad that you will get trashed if you criticize anything about skater x because that skater has ubers likely. One has to be a bit bold or brave. I am curious, and also live in a small world due to illness and TV being so awful. I don't travel like I wanted to, and I read a lot on internet just serfing.

Like Pepe Nero, I am enthralled with skating, though it is no longer an American dominated sport. TRhank you Blades for realizing the legitimacy of the question re: nutrition, food supply. Mirai used to read the boards, maybe she or Caroline will pop in and tell us what there diets are like when training. And also answer the question we speculate on...how much ha body change affected what they can do on the ice.

Many have been dismissive of Caroline. Sadly, this is her last season most likely. I hope she has a nice skate at Nationals, and I will remember her pearl spin forever. Mirai still has a chance I hope. I love her skating, whether she rotates her triple fully or not. I want to see that spark again. I'll never forget her Vancouver skates-such fun-such quality and joy. That goes for Flatt, too.

 

[blue_idealist]

Well, as one poster pointed out, Gao is Asian-American and she's still thin. I think weight issues lie with the individual, not the ethnicity. That being said, "bad" food might be promoted more in the United States than it is in Japan, what with a McDonald's and a Starbucks on every corner, so people like Mirai and Caroline may be more tempted to eat it.

 

[Icey]

Kale for all.

 

[thinspread]

Well, as one poster pointed out, Gao is Asian-American and she's still thin. I think weight issues lie with the individual, not the ethnicity. That being said, "bad" food might be promoted more in the United States than it is in Japan, what with a McDonald's and a Starbucks on every corner, so people like Mirai and Caroline may be more tempted to eat it.

I mostly agree with you. Inter-personal differences within an ethnic group are much bigger than the inter-racial differences. I think the availability of high-calorie and junk foods are now pretty equal in urban areas around the world. AFAIK Japan has the biggest per capita number of McDonald outlets, ex-U.S. Also, the use of growth hormones, antibiotics and pesticides are common practices worldwide. As you mentioned, there are many U.S. female athletes who remain thin beyond puberty, regardless of the ethnic background. I assume most elite athletes strictly control their diets, so I still think it's individual genetics first and whatever small differences in diet habit second, as the decisive factors.

Definitely female athletes would have harder time keeping their body fat levels under control and contour changes in check. Nature made it that way, and they would need intensive physical actitivites in addition to diet control to fight back the puberty attack. If they overcome that process and keep their jump techniques intact through it, I don't see why not they can extend their technically competitive career well into their late twenties, since women also can gain more muscle mass and strength in their twenties compared to their teenage years.

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

I find it problematic that eating issues are being raised in relation to female skaters only. Of course nutrition is important. But when the question is raised only or foremost in relation to female skaters, it suggests something far more than concern for nutrition. Let me reiterate that I mean to imply nothing about anyone's intentions. My worry is that these questions reflect a pervasive cultural attitude that women's bodies are for the public in general to judge.

I understand what you're saying, but to be fair a female build more like a man (smaller chest, narrower hips) is going to find rotating triples easier. Unfortunately, this reality doesn't represent what a healthy female body should necessarily look like, but rather reflects genetics and diet.

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

American food is sooooooooooooooooo sweet (and I hate that....) compare to its counterpart in Asian food (Chinese, Japanese, Korea, whatever..) And I think Korean food is the leanest among all asian food.

You are absolutely right. Sugar is in everything in this country (USA) in excessive amounts. Even salad dressings by national brands have a surprisingly high amount of sugar.