Functional Sports Registered Dietician Chrissy Barth on ”High Performance Fuel for Athletes”

Welcome back to the Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast for EPISODE #160 with Chrissy Barth, MS, RDN, RYT, an integrative and functional sports registered dietician and mind-body expert in the field of nutrition who is passionate about teaching others about optimal health and performance by taking the confusion out of nutrition.

Episode website. 

Watch this interview on YouTube here. 

Learn more about Chrissy Barth https://livebreathenutrition.com/ 

Past Neuroscience Meets Social and Emotional Learning Podcast Episodes https://www.achieveit360.com/episodes/  

I'm Andrea Samadi, author, and educator from Toronto, Canada, now in Arizona, and like many of our listeners, have been fascinated with learning and understanding the science behind high performance strategies in our schools, our sports, and workplace environments with ideas that we can all use, understand and implement immediately.

I first met Chrissy Barth a couple of weeks ago, when she was asked to speak at our daughter’s gym, to help a team of aspiring gymnasts, improve their nutrition, and be sure they are fueling their bodies efficiently. I was blown away with her presentation, as I always have in the back of my head, what else can I learn to help my family and others when it comes to the Top 5 Health Staples that we have been talking about on this podcast, so I immediately asked Chrissy to join us.

A bit more about Chrissy—she is the founder and CEO of Live Breathe Nutrition, LLC and Nutrition Lifestyle Education – nutrition coaching and consulting practices in Phoenix, Arizona where she serves as a nutrition consultant to sports teams, spas, behavioral health programs, medical and training facilities, corporations, and local and national media outlets serving as a media spokesperson. Chrissy is also a Lecturer at Arizona State University where she teaches sports nutrition, complementary health care, human nutrition and entrepreneurship and serves as a mentor to many aspiring future RDs.

Chrissy has received many awards but the single highest mark of achievement as a dietitian she has received recognition as Arizona’s Young Dietitian of the Year. Chrissy enjoys giving back to her community and volunteers her time educating youth athletes on the benefits of sports nutrition.

Let’s meet Chrissy Barth and sharpen our saw with regards to high performance fuel!

Welcome Chrissy! Thank you so much for speaking with me today—I know it’s busy times with back to school and sports in full swing.

Intro Q: So I picked up in your presentation the other Friday night where we first met that you worked in MLB. Did you consult with the AZ Diamondbacks or was it another team?

I wonder, besides the comment you made about all the Red Bull drinks on the bench, what did you learn from working with a pro sports team?

Q1: I picked up so much from your “High Performance Fuel Presentation” and wanted to give our listeners an overview of this presentation, since this is one of the Top 5 health staples that we are focused on with the podcast. And who doesn’t want to learn the tips you would offer to a pro sports team! Can you share what you think are the 6 Keys to Optimal Performance and for those who have athletes in their home, what do you think is crucial for the athlete to be aware of with regards to using food as fuel?

Q2: This next question is powerful because you know you can learn something and what’s the point if you don’t implement it in your life to reap the rewards. This next question is where my 2 girls (ages 11 and 9) who were in your presentation the other night, payed attention and implemented what you taught them. I was so proud of them, because nutrition is an area that we have some weaknesses in. Can you break down what should be on an athlete’s plate? What was powerful about what you taught us was that now, on training days, my girls show me their meal plates and break down what you suggested they eat (grains/carbs vs fruits/veggies vs lean protein).

Q3: What about fats? What’s crazy to me is that if you are to ask someone to name off the items they eat that are proteins or carbs, I know they will be able to give a long list. But I notice that there is still this stigma behind eating fats (that I know was a huge paradigm for me to change a few years ago). What do you notice with fats, are people starting to see their benefits? What are some good fats vs bad fats?

Q4: This next one hit home for our household and it’s a crazy one, because I’m not the one training at the gym every night like my girls, but I’d say of everyone in my household, I eat the most “fuel” I call it. I’ve consumed more calories than anyone by 9am because I know I need it. What happens to an athlete when they under fuel? Where does it show up?

Q5: Can you explain what happens to our muscles after we work out? How do we prime them for performance the next day?

Q6: Can you give an example of the best breakfast for an athlete?

Q7: What about examples of good lunches or dinners?

Q8: We have been talking about inflammation a lot on this podcast, as it is often found in the body as a precursor to some of the major diseases.  Can you name some natural anti-inflammatory foods?

Q9: I know we mentioned the Red Bull drinks in the beginning that shocked you behind the bench when you worked in pro sports, but what about Gatorade? Isn’t that drink just a whole bunch of sugar ang dye? What other foods should we be aware of as dangerous for our health?

Chrissy, I have learned so much from the time we spent together when you spoke at Aspire Gym, and now the additional time on the podcast. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us. For those who want to learn more about your work, is the best place your website?[i]

FOLLOW CHRISSY BARTH:

https://www.facebook.com/chrissy.barth

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissy-barth-ms-rdn-ryt-b6273a4/?originalSubdomain=de

FOLLOW ANDREA SAMADI: 

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/AndreaSamadi  

Website https://www.achieveit360.com/  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samadi/ 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Achieveit360com  

Neuroscience Meets SEL Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/2975814899101697  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/andreasamadi  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreasamadi/ 

 

RESOURCES:

Dr. Dale Bredesen https://www.apollohealthco.com/dr-bredesen/

Sheena’s Place Eating Disorder Clinic in Toronto https://sheenasplace.org/

REFERENCES:

[i] https://livebreathenutrition.com/