by Nancy Clark, MS, RD

This feature is a continuation of the "Sports Psychology" column in the June 2002 issue of Runner Triathlete News. To get the full scoop on how you can use visualization for energy and balance, pick up a copy of the June issue of Runner Triathlete News.

Sad but true, being injured is part of being an athlete. Not surprisingly, injured athletes have numerous questions and concerns about nutrition as it relates to healing. Often, they attempt to pump their bodies with super nutrition, similar to pulling out the fire engine in an emergency situation. While enhanced post- injury nutrition does not result in rapid healing, eating well every day of training is a wise bet. That way, if you do get injured, your body will already be in great nutritional shape.

The following article answers the nutrition questions injured athletes commonly ask. Hopefully, you are healthy and don't need these tips. But when and if your injury comes, you'll know the best nutritional attack.

Q. "I broke my leg in a skiing accident. If I start drinking more milk will the bone heal quicker?"

A. No. Most bones take 6 to 10 weeks to heal. Period. Extra calcium will not speed the process. But adequate calcium is important; be sure to eat at least 3 calcium-rich foods per day (cereal/milk+lunch/yogurt+dinner/milk).

Hopefully you have already invested in optimal bone health by feeding your body plenty of calcium pre-injury. The teen years are particularly prime times for enhancing bone strength. (Unfortunately many teens drink more Coke and Pepsi than milk.) Thoughout your lifespan, be sure to maintain bone strength with a strong calcium intake. This advice goes for men as well as for women. Few men recognize that osteoporosis can be a problem for men who live older than 70 years.

Q. Should I start taking vitamins to help recover from knee surgury?"

A. You do need good nutrition to enhance postsurgical healing. But vitamins are only one little piece of the nutritional picture. Minerals such as iron and zinc enhance healing, as does protein. Your best bet is to first eat wholesome foods; they can supply the nutrients you need. Given that many breakfast cereals, snack foods, and energy bars are vitamin-fortified, you may already be consuming far more vitamins than you acknowledge. Reading food labels can give you helpful information about the amount of vitamins in your standard food choices.

Instead of rushing to buy vitamin supplements, first buy piles of colorful vegetables, such as broccoli and spinach. (One small stalk of broccoli provides the recommended intake of Vitamin C, a vitamin that enhances healing.) Other vitamin-rich foods include oranges and all citrus fruits, kiwi, and cantaloupe; mineral-rich foods include lean meats, yogurt, and milk. Hopefully, you have been routinely eating these foods pre-injury so your body is already in great nutritional shape.

Q. "My stress fracture hasn't healed in 6 months. Could my vegetarian diet be slowing the healing process?"

A. Unlikely, if you are eating a balanced vegetarian diet that is rich in tofu, beans, nuts, and other plant proteins. But if your vegetarian diet is simply a meatless diet that lacks alternate proteins, YES! The deficiency of protein--and the companion nutrients iron and zinc--may not only slow healing, but also may have triggered the poor bone health that preceeded the stress fracture.

Among active women, protein deficient "vegetarian" diets (such as the bagel & pasta diet) can contribute to amenorrhea (loss of the menstrual period). This results in reduced bone density and a higher risk of stress fractures. Note that amenorrheic women runners have a 4.5 times higher risk of getting stress fractures than do their regularly menstruating peers.

If you are concerned about the adequacy of your vegetarian diet, your best bet is to get a nutrition check-up with a registered dietitian. (Call 1- 800-366-1655 for a referral to a sports nutritionist in your zip code area.) This nutrition professional will be able to help you consume not only enough protein, but also iron, zinc, and calcium--all nutrients involved in bone health. Hopefully, you'll do this before you get a stress fracture!

Q. "I'm afraid I'll gain weight now that I'm injured and can't exercise the way I like to..."

A. According to weight control theory, the more you exercise, the more you'll eat; the less you exercise, the less hungry you'll be and the less you'll eat. But life factors easily confound this simple system and some athletes do gain weight because they eat for reasons other than hunger. For example, an injured athlete who meets up with his teammates for dinner (after they have worked out) may eat just as much as they do--which could be 600 excess calories for him.

Many active people equate weight gain with lack of exercise, but I often equate it with stress. That is, weight gained with injury generally relates to injury-created stress and unhappiness.

Injury is a good time to learn that your body won't get fat on you. If you eat when you are hungry and stop when you are content, you won't gain weight. Just be sure to use food for fuel, not for entertainment or lifting your spirits. (Note: you may gain some weight if you are very underweight--but you'll also get healthier.)

Important: do not severely restrict your food intake when you are injured. Your body needs adequate nutrition to heal your injury. Eliminating healthful foods hinders the process. Be wise!

Nancy Clark, MS, RD provides personal nutrition consultations at Boston-area's SportsMedicine Brookline. Her Sports Nutrition Guidebook, 2nd Edition is available at bookstores. Or, send a check ($20) to Nutrition Materials, 830 Boylston St.#205, Brookline MA 02167.