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 Great for fitness nutrition … this book is just the job
men’s health

food
A sports nutrition guide and recipe book rolled
If you’re serious about exercise, Food For Fitness has everything into one, Food for Fitness dispels popular myths
you need to know about fuelling your workout 4th edition and gives you the tools you need to reach your
maximum performance.
health & fitness Food for Fitness is the ultimate resource for anyone
who is serious about sport or fitness. Now in
its fourth edition, this bestselling book has been
updated to include the very latest nutrition research
for exercise and performance, and is packed with
easy, delicious and nutritious recipes, snacks and
helpful new menu plans.

l Find out what to eat and drink to stay fuelled and

for
for
hydrated

food for fitness

l Debunk the myths and evaluate the usefulness of

for
sports supplements

fitness
l Learn the best times to eat to prepare for exercise,
and what to eat to maximise recovery after
Anita Bean is a registered nutritionist (Sports &
Exercise) whose practical style has made her one
of the UK’s most respected nutrition writers. She
How to eat for maximum performance l
exercising

Discover specific strategies to aid fat loss and

prioritise muscle gain
is an accomplished sportsperson and author of the
bestselling titles: The Complete Guide to Sports l Includes tailored menu plans adapted to each
Nutrition and The Complete Guide to Strength sport – whether it be running, swimming, cycling,
Training. Winner of two major achievement awards triathlon, team or racquet sports
in sports nutrition she features regularly in the media,
and contributes to numerous health and fitness l Get the performance edge and learn how to eat to
publications. over win during competitions.

60
Along with trustworthy advice and up to the minute
research, clearly explained and tailored to your
needs, Food for Fitness contains an essential recipe
A practical guide you should not be without section filled with easy to follow meal ideas to help

sunday times energy-boosting you put the advice into practice.

anita bean
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www.bloomsbury.com £16.99

anita bean
9781472901996_cov_app.indd 1 17/12/2013 14:46
 Food for Fitness
How to eat for maximum performance
4th edition

anita bean

00FFF_9781472901996_txt.indd 1 19/12/2013 22:45

Note unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be
While every effort has been made to ensure that the liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages
content of this book is as technically accurate and as
sound as possible, neither the author nor the publishers Anita Bean has asserted her rights under the Copyright,
can accept responsibility for any injury or loss sustained as Design and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the
a result of the use of this material. author of this work.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc British Library.
50 Bedford Square
London WC1B 3DP Acknowledgements
www.bloomsbury.com Cover photograph © Getty Images; author photo
© Tom Croft
This electronic edition published in 2014 by Bloomsbury Inside photographs: All images © Shutterstock with
Publishing Plc the exception of p. 69 Naturasports/Shutterstock.com;
p. 73 © Radu Razvan/Shutterstock.com; p. 134 Daniel
Fourth edition 2014 Goodings/Shutterstock.com; p. 137 © Maxisport/
Third edition 2007, reprinted 2009 Shutterstock.com; p. 149 © ostill/Shutterstock.com;
Second edition 2002 p. 173 © Shamleen/Shutterstock.com; p. 187 Francesco
First edition 1998, reprinted 1999 Carucci/Shutterstock.com; p. 196 Naturasports/
Shutterstock.com; pp. 1, 48, 100, 120, 121, 122, 139, 141,
Copyright © 1998, 2002, 2008 and 2014 Anita Bean 145, 159, 194, 210 and 217 © Getty Images
ISBN (print): 978-1-4729-0199-6 Commissioning Editor: Charlotte Croft
ISBN (epub): 978-1-4729-0282-5 Editor: Sarah Cole
ISBN (epdf ): 978-1-4729-0282-5 Design: James Watson

All rights reserved To find out more about our authors and their books please
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 fitness and nutrition essentials

CONTENTS

Foreword iv
Introduction v
Acknowledgements vi

PART 1: Nutrition
1 Nutrition essentials 3
2 Nutrient timing and recovery nutrition 39
3 Hydration and performance 59
4 Eating for fat loss 75
5 Eating for muscle gain 99
6 Sports supplements 117

PART 2: Food for your sport

7 Nutrition for running 141
8 Nutrition for swimming 155
9 Nutrition for cycling 169
10 Nutrition for triathlon 181
11 Nutrition for team and racket sports 191
12 Special diets: vegetarian, diabetic and gluten free 199

PART 3: The recipes

13 Breakfasts 212
14 Main meals 217
15 Vegetarian meals 228
16 Sports snacks 240

References and further reading 259

Index 263

00FFF_9781472901996_txt.indd 3 19/12/2013 22:45

 FOREWORD

I am a great believer in an active lifestyle. I know from don’t work for me, I just eat healthily, balancing what I eat
first hand experience that diet plays a very big part in any with my activity needs. When I eat well, I have more energy
fitness programme as well as sporting success. When I and I perform a lot better too. It’s simple really, calories in
was training for the Olympics, I would eat a lot of food – a equals calories out – or you put on weight!
typical week would include more than twenty hours in the I’ve known Anita for several years and always shared
pool as well as ten in the gym – so I was always hungry. But, her practical approach to nutrition. I welcome this book,
to be the best in my sport, I made sure that I ate a lot of the it combines the best of nutrition knowledge with fitness
right foods, as well as trained very hard. I won an Olympic training and an active lifestyle. It gives you clear no-
silver medal, double Commonwealth gold, competed in nonsense advice about what to eat, how much to eat and
three Olympics in three decades, as well as set 200 British when to eat. There are hundreds of useful facts and tips
records. I now work for the BBC as a presenter on swimming to help you put together a healthy eating plan, whether
among other things. you are working out for fitness or in serious training for
Although I no longer compete, I am still committed competitions. I’m sure that you will find this book useful
to a fitness regime. These days I basically exercise to stay and a great investment in your well-being.
in shape – regularly working out in my home gym, skiing,
walking the dog and playing with my kids – but I still pay Sharron Davies mbe
attention to what I eat. I don’t diet, I’ve tried them, they Olympic Swimming Champion

iv

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 INTRODUCTION

If you are reading this, then you have just taken a big nutrient timing and protein intake. I’ve incorporated the
step towards improving your fitness. If you’re already an latest science into this new edition, giving you all the most
accomplished athlete, this book will help you reach the cutting-edge information on nutrition and fitness at your
next level. If you’re new to fitness, then this book will give fingertips.
you a head start and you’ll begin reaping the benefits I’m a firm believer in evidence-based advice so in
straight away. this book, you’ll find that all the facts are supported
Getting your nutrition right is perhaps more important by referenced sources at the end of each chapter. I’ve
than the training you do if you want to maximise your endeavoured to present current, useful and practical
fit­ness. After all, performance starts with fuelling, not advice to help you improve your performance, not
training! Correct nutrition will enable you to train harder personal opinions, anecdotes or cherry-picked evidence
and more effectively, recover quicker, miss fewer sessions to promote a personal view. I should point out that I don’t
through illness, injury or fatigue, and gain a competitive sell products or supplements so you can be assured that
edge. Without it, you will not be making the most of your the advice in this book is unbiased and scientifically-based.
training. By demystifying the hype and hearsay, this book will save
In this 4th edition of Food For Fitness, you will learn how you time, effort and money – you won’t be eating foods or
to fuel your training programme effectively, how to time supplements that you don’t need.
your nutritional intake for fastest results, what the best Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with
recovery foods are, and which supplements really work. many athletes in different sports and have learnt that
You’ll also discover how to achieve your ideal weight, how nutrition really can make a big difference to everyone’s per­
to gain muscle, lose fat and create the perfect diet for your for­mance, whether a newcomer, club athlete or Olympian.
fitness programme or sport. You’ll find core eating plans for But that can only happen when the individual has the
runners, cyclists, swimmers, triathletes, and team players, means to put the theory (about nutrients) into practice
as well as eating strategies for competitions that will help (daily diet). In other words, you need to know exactly
you achieve your best performance. what meals and snacks to eat! And in Part 3 I’ve devised
This 4th edition represents the most up-to-date advice over 50 delicious fitness recipes for breakfasts, main meals
on nutrition for sport and exercise. Since the publication of and snacks. They’re all quick and simple to make, healthy,
the 3rd edition of Food For Fitness, there have been hundreds inexpensive and best of all require minimal cooking skills!
of new studies and scientific discoveries that have changed Good luck and happy cooking and training!
the dietary advice I give to athletes, particularly on topics
such as carbohydrate requirements, fat and sugar. There’s Anita Bean
also been a shift in the scientific consensus on hydration, 2014

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My gratitude extends, as ever, to my husband for his patience during the

writing of this book. I am forever thankful for my two daughters, Chloe
and Lucy, who not only provide me with unending inspiration, but also
faithfully feedback on my recipes and menus. My thanks also extend to
the terrific editorial team at Bloomsbury, especially Charlotte Croft for her
vision and insight and to Sarah Cole for her sheer hard work.

vi

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 1
PART
nutrition

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01bFFF_9781472901996_txt.indd 2 19/12/2013 22:35
 1
nutrition essentials

NUTRITION ESSENTIALS

Your diet not only affects your health but also your Exactly what should you eat then? Well, there’s
performance. It affects how energetic you feel, no ‘ideal diet’ that’s right for everyone but a good
your stamina, your strength and your power. It is place to start when it comes to designing your daily
undoubtedly the biggest factor when it comes to diet are the guidelines developed by the Intern­
body weight and body composition, both of which ational Olympic Committee (IOC, 2011) and the
are critical for peak performance (as well as health). ACSM (Rodrigues et al., 2009). These form the basis
What, how much, and when you eat can also make of the nutrition advice in this chapter. However, your
a crucial difference to your ability to recover after exact calorie and nutritional needs will depend on
exercise as well as your performance in competition. your weight, size, age, daily calorie expenditure, indi­
So, whether you’re exercising for fitness or training for vidual metabolism, training programme and even
competitions, eating a healthy diet and maintaining such factors as the temperature and humidity. To help
proper hydration will help improve your performance, you make the healthiest food choices, here are the
keep you healthy and promote fast recovery. essential facts about nutrition for sport and exercise.

1. Energy (calories)
Where do I get energy?
You get energy from four components in food and drink: carbohydrate, fat,
protein and (though not strictly a nutrient) alcohol. Each of these provides
different amounts of energy. 1 g provides approximately:

protein 4 kcal (17 kJ) alcohol 7 kcal (29 kJ)

carbohydrate 4 kcal (17 kJ) fat 9 kcal (38 kJ)

These fuels are broken down in your body and transformed via various bio­
chemical pathways into a compound called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Energy
is produced when one of the phosphate molecules splits off, leaving adenosine
diphosphate (ADP). This energy can then be used to fuel your muscles.

How many calories do I need?

You can estimate your daily calorie needs by working out your basal metabolic
rate (BMR) and multiplying it by your physical activity level.
Your BMR is the number of calories you burn at rest over 24 hours main­
taining essential functions such as respiration, digestion and brain function. BMR
accounts for 60–75 per cent of the calories you burn daily.

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 food for fitness

Step 1: Estimate your basal metabolic rate (BMR)

(A) Quick method: As a rule of thumb, BMR uses 11 calories for every 0.5 kg of
a woman’s body weight, and 12 calories for every 0.5 kg of a man’s body weight.

Women: BMR = weight in kg x 2 x 11 (alternatively weight in pounds x 11)

Men: BMR = weight in kg x 2 x 12 (alternatively weight in pounds x 12)
Example: BMR for a 60 kg woman = 60 x 2 x 11 x 1,320 kcal.

(B) Longer method: For a more accurate estimation of your BMR, use the following
equations or an online calculator (http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calcuator/)

table 1.1 weight calculations

Age Men Women

10–18 years (weight in kg x 17.5) + 651 (weight in kg x 12.2) + 746
18–30 years (weight in kg x 15.3) + 679 (weight in kg x 14.7) + 479
31–60 years (weight in kg x 11.6) + 879 (weight in kg x 8.7) + 829
60+ years (weight in kg x 13.5) + 487 (weight in kg x 10.5) + 596

Example: BMR for a 60 kg woman aged 31–60 years =

(60 x 8.7) + 829 = 1,351 kcal.

Step 2: Estimate your physical activity level (PAL)

Your physical activity level (PAL) is the ratio of your overall daily energy expenditure
to your BMR. It’s a rough measure of your lifestyle activity.
Mostly inactive or sedentary (mainly sitting) 1.2
Fairly active (include walking and exercise 1–2 x weekly) 1.3
Moderately active (exercise 2–3 x weekly) 1.4
Active (exercise hard more than 3 x weekly) 1.5
Very active (exercise hard daily) 1.7

Step 3: Multiply your BMR by your PAL to work out your daily
calorie needs
BMR x PAL
Example: Daily energy needs for an active 60 kg woman = 1,351 x 1.5 =2,027 kcal.
That’s roughly how many calories you burn a day to maintain your weight,
assuming you have an ‘average’ body composition. If you have higher than
average muscle mass, add 150 calories.

01bFFF_9781472901996_txt.indd 4 19/12/2013 22:35

 nutrition essentials

To lose weight, reduce your daily calorie intake by 15 per cent or multiply the
figure above (maintenance calorie needs) by 0.85. This will produce a fat loss of
about 0.5 kg per week.

Example: Daily energy needs for an active 60 kg woman to lose weight =

2,027 x 0.85 = 1,723 kcal.

To gain weight, increase your daily calorie intake by 20 per cent or multiply the
figure above (maintenance calorie needs) by 1.2. In conjunction with a resistance
training programme, expect a weight gain of 0.25–0.5 kg per month.

Example: Daily energy needs for an active 60 kg woman to gain weight =

2,027 x 1.2 = 2,432 kcal.

2. Carbohydrate
Why do I need carbohydrate?
Strictly speaking, there is no physiological need for carbohydrate (or ‘carbs’);
your body could get by with energy derived from fats and protein – provided
you didn’t exercise! Carbohydrate are an important fuel for muscles – almost
all types of activities rely on carbohydrate (glucose) for energy. Perhaps the
only exception is a single all-out lift in the gym or a single jump. But sprinting,
running, jogging, swimming, cycling, walking, playing football … they all use
carbohydrate to a greater or lesser degree. The longer and harder you exercise,
the more carbohydrate you burn.
So, the main purpose of carbohydrate is to fuel the muscles. It’s also the
preferred fuel for the brain, nervous system and heart, which use about 130
g daily, although it is possible to survive on less than this, perhaps as little as
50 g. That’s because the body can make glucose from protein in a process called
gluconeogenesis. If you eat less than this amount (this is not recommended for
athletes), then your body will go into a state of ketosis. This means that fats are
converted into ketone bodies in the liver, which can then be used by the brain for
fuel instead of glucose. However, they cannot provide fuel for the muscles, which
is why low-carbohydrate diets are not generally advised for athletes.

Can I over-consume carbohydrate?

The carbohydrate in your food is converted into glycogen and stored in your liver
and muscles. However, these stores are relatively small – you can store only about
100 g (equivalent to 400 calories) in the liver and 400 g (or 1,600 calories) in the
muscles. Once your glycogen stores are ‘full’, then your body will convert any
excess carbohydrate to fat. So, while it is important to refill your glycogen stores

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 food for fitness

after working out, you should be careful not to over-consume carbohydrate.

More carbohydrate does not equal more energy. Just as over-filling the fuel tank How can I tell if I am
eating too much or too
in your car won’t make it go faster, over-consuming carbohydrate won’t improve little carbohydrate?
your performance. Excess carbohydrate can mean excess fat weight, which will
almost certainly hinder your performance.
A good guide as to whether you
are eating enough carbohydrate is
Can I eat too little carbohydrate?
how energetic you feel during your
On the other hand, consuming a low-carbohydrate diet or exercising with low
workouts. If you feel easily fatigued
glycogen stores can result in early fatigue, reduced stamina and poor performance,
but haven’t changed the amount
particularly for high-intensity endurance activities lasting longer than an hour. If
of rest and sleep you get, nor
you eat too little carbohydrate after training, your recovery will be impaired and,
increased your training volume, this
over time, you may develop symptoms of over­training. Therefore, it’s important
may suggest low glycogen levels
that you plan your carbohydrate intake around your training sessions carefully to
and an insufficient carbohydrate
avoid weight gain as well as under-performance.
intake. Upping your carbohydrate
intake by an extra 50–100 g daily
How much carbohydrate do I need?
should restore glycogen levels and
A high-carbohydrate diet has long been the cornerstone of nutrition advice for all
stave off fatigue. However, over-
regular exercisers. However, scientific thinking around how much carbohydrate
eating carbohydrate won’t increase
you need has shifted since the publication of the 3rd edition of Food for Fitness in
your energy levels. Instead, you
favour of a higher fat intake and lower-carbohydrate intake, particularly for those
may feel ‘heavy’ and, ironically,
trying to lose weight.
more lethargic. Once your glycogen
Previously, sports scientists recommended that everyone should get around
stores are filled, excess carbo­
60 per cent of their calories from carbohydrate. However this doesn’t take account
hydrate is converted into fat so you
of different exercise modes (endurance or anaerobic), body weights or training
may notice that you put on weight.
volumes. One size doesn’t fit all! The quantity of carbohydrate you should eat
Try to listen to your body and you’ll
depends on your goals (e.g. to lose, maintain or gain weight), how much exercise
soon find the balance between too
you do, the type and intensity of your activity and your body weight. Also, for
little and too much carbohydrate.
most people, the amount of activity you do varies from day to day, so you will
need to vary your carbohydrate intake accordingly. For instance, on days when
you are more active, you should eat more carbohydrate; conversely, on rest days
or when you do a lighter workout, you should eat less carbohydrate.
As a rule of thumb, the longer and harder you train, the more carbohydrate
you need to fuel your muscles (Rodrigues et al., 2009; IOC, 2011). The Australian
Institute of Sport recommend that those who do relatively low-intensity exercise,
such as brisk walking, slow jogging or skill-based workouts, consume 3–5 g
carbohydrate/kg of body weight daily (Burke, L., 2007; Burke et al., 2011). If
you do moderate-intensity training, such as cycling, swimming or running, for
an hour a day, then you should aim to consume 5–7 g/kg of body weight daily.
Doing moderate- to high-intensity training up to 3 hours a day increases your

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 nutrition essentials

requirement to 7–10 g/kg body weight, while training more than 4 hours daily
would push your requirement to the upper end of that range, 10–12 g/kg of body
weight. In practice, around 5 g/kg should be more than adequate for most people
training 1–2 hours a day. Even if you’re lifting heavy weights, this level will be
more than enough to fuel a typical workout. Only elite endurance athletes who
are in very heavy training need more than 7 g/kg on a daily basis. Table 1.2 gives
guidelines for daily carbohydrate intake for different body types and duration of
training programmes.
For example, a 60 kg person training at a moderate intensity for 1 hour a day
would need approximately (5 x 60)–(7 x 60) or 300–420 g carbohydrate. However,
this is only a guideline and you should adjust this according to your specific
training goals, how active you are during the rest of the day, and how you feel
during and after training. For example, if you want to lose weight, you should eat
less than this amount.
Table 1.3 gives the carbohydrate content of various foods but you can also
get an idea of your carbohydrate intake by checking the labels of foods or using
the free online database (http://www.food-database.co.uk/) for the amounts of
carbohydrate in various foods.

Table 1.2 How much carbohydrate do I need?

Activity level Recommended Carbohydrate/ Carbohydrate/ Carbohydrate/

carbohydrate day for a 50 kg day for a 60 kg day for a 70 kg
intake g/kg body person person person
weight/day
Very light training (low-intensity 3–5 g 150–250 g 180–300 g 210–350 g
or skill-based exercise)
Moderate-intensity training 5–7 g 250–350 g 300–420 g 350–490 g
(approx 1 hour/day)
Moderate- to high-intensity 7–10 g 350–500 g 420–600 g 490–700 g
training (1–3 hours/day)
Very high-intensity training 10–12 g 500–600 g 600–720 g 700–840 g
(>4 hours/day)
Source: Burke, L., 2007; Burke et al., 2011.

Low-carbohydrate diets for athletes?

Conventional wisdom suggests that athletes need to eat plenty of carbo­
hydrate to fuel their training sessions, but a growing body of scientific opinion
now suggests that a lower-carbohydrate and higher-fat intake may be equally

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 food for fitness

if not more effective for certain types of exercise. For example, doing low-
intensity exercise (e.g. jogging, walking, ‘easy-pace’ cycling or swimming, yoga)
or intermittent exercises with rest periods (e.g. weight training) does not use that
much carbohydrate, probably not more than an extra 50–60 g/hour – not enough
to deplete your glycogen stores.
Low-carbohydrate diets may suit some athletes, for example, those looking
to lose weight or those with type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance (pre-diabetic).
If you are pre-diabetic or insulin resis­tant, this means that your cells are less
sensitive to the actions of insulin. Your body is not able to process carbohydrate
into fuel efficiently and stores carbohydrate as fat rather than burning them for
fuel. Try minimising sugar, refined cereals (white bread, pasta, rice and breakfast
cereals) and potatoes; and focusing instead on getting calories from protein and
fat: meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts, eggs and dairy products.

Table 1.3 The carbohydrate content of different foods

Food Energy (kcal) Carbohydrate (g)

Apples (one, 100 g) 47 12 Is sugar addictive?
Baked beans (200 g) 162 30
Bananas (one, 100 g) 95 23 Most people don’t think of sugar as
Biscuits (one, 15 g) 70 10 an addictive drug, but a number of
Bran flakes (40 g) 132 29 scientists believe that it may act on
Bread (1 slice, 35 g) 80 15 the brain in a similar way to alcohol
Cereal bar (one, 30 g) 140 18 and nicotine (Lustig, 2013). The
Flapjacks (one, 70 g) 345 44
reason is because sugar (fructose)
Jam or honey (15 g) 40 10
acts on the same hormonal path­ways
Milk, semi-skimmed (300 ml) 138 14
in the brain that reward behaviour,
Oatcakes (one, 13 g) 54 8
and therefore may be addictive for
Orange juice (200 ml) 72 18
certain people.
Pasta (85 g raw weight) 196 64
However, this doesn’t apply
Pitta bread (one, 60 g) 160 34
to everyone – some people are
Porridge (200 g) 166 23
genetically more susceptible to
Potatoes (200 g) 150 34
sugar’s effects than others. For
Rice (85 g raw weight) 303 69
these people, fructose ‘down-
Roll (one, 50 g) 120 22
regulates’ the dopamine (pleasure
Shreddies (40 g) 138 31
hormone) receptors in the brain,
Sweetcorn (80 g) 89 16
which causes them to eat more to
Weetabix (two, 40 g) 141 30
get the same pleasure.
Yoghurt (1 pot, 150 g) 117 21

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 nutrition essentials

1. Performance
Is sugar good or bad for
When it comes to performance, sugar can be useful for maintaining blood athletes?
glucose concentrations during intense training sessions or events lasting more
than 60 minutes when the muscles may run low on glycogen and need extra Sugar is a carbo­hydrate, which means it
fuel quickly. In these scenarios, consuming sugar (say, in the form of a banana, is an energy source for the body. It can
dried fruit, a sports drink, or a cereal bar) would help you continue exercising be used to fuel muscles during exercise;
longer and/or maintain your intensity, i.e. perform to your potential. However, convert into glycogen; or turn into fat.
it would be unnecessary for shorter sessions. Sugar may also be beneficial for The dilemma for athletes is knowing
refuelling muscles during the 2-hour period after exercise (see page 10). when sugar may be useful for perfor­
But eating more sugar won’t necessarily make you feel more energetic mance or when it may be harmful for
or ‘give you more energy’. In fact, the opposite holds true – consuming sugar health.
before exercise does not improve performance or stamina and may even result
in hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose) if you consume too much or get the
timing wrong (Burke et al., 1998; Wu and Williams, 2006). Eating sugar triggers
insulin release, which rapidly transports glucose out of the bloodstream. If
Q&A
you eat too much before exercising or your body produces too much insulin
How much sugar is ‘safe’ to eat?
after eating sugar, then you may be left with lower blood glucose levels than
before. This rebound effect can make you feel tired, weak and lightheaded. It There’s no simple answer. Some people
is ‘safer’ to eat a low-GI meal 2–4 hours before exercise or consume only small can eat sugar without harm while others
amounts of sugar (e.g. a banana) if you need an energy boost before exercise. should avoid it. According to the WHO
and UK guidelines, you should get no
2. Health more than 10 per cent of your daily
According to an analysis of 68 studies commissioned by the World Health calories from added sugars, which
Organi­zation (WHO), sugar (not simply calories) is a principal cause of the equates to about 50 g for the average
obesity epidemic (Morenga et al., 2013). High intakes of sugar have been linked person consuming 2,000 calories a day.
with type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, But the US guidelines recommend no
high triglyceride levels, cardiovascular disease, cancer and dementia. One more than 25 g for women and 38 g for
study found that for every 150 calories from sugar there is an 11-fold increase men (Johnson et al., 2009). To put that
in type 2 diabetes risk (Basu et al., 2013). into perspective, one 330 ml can of coke
It’s not just the high calorie content of sugary foods and drinks that is contains 35 g of sugar while a Kit Kat
thought to cause these problems but also the specific actions of fructose contains 23 g of sugar.
that makes up half of sugar (sucrose is half glucose, half fructose). Fructose The GDA that appears on food labels
encourages fat storage more than any other nutrient. When you eat fructose is 120 g for men and 90 g for women,
it goes to the liver where it may be converted to glycogen or fat. If liver but these figures are confusing as they
glycogen (stored carbohydrate) is low, such as after a long exercise session, include both naturally occurring (e.g.
fructose will be used to replenish it. But if your liver is already full of glycogen, fruit and milk) and added sugars. Some
then fructose will be stored as fat. So, unless you have just done intense scientists believe the GDA is set too high
exercise, any fructose that you eat will be converted to fat. In other words, it’s (Malhotra, 2013).
very easy to get fat from eating sugar.

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The other problem with sugar (or rather fructose) is that it doesn’t satisfy hunger
or tell your brain to stop eating. Unlike glucose, it doesn’t trigger leptin (the
hormone that signals the brain that you’re full) or reduce the hunger hormone
ghrelin. It has no effect on satiety.
If you’re active, moderate amounts of sugar won’t do any harm as you’ll
probably burn these calories off through exercise. But it’s important to remember
there’s no physiological need for added sugars in the diet – they don’t serve any
purpose apart from fuel (calories). The less you eat, the healthier you’ll be.
If its sweetness you want, then it’s better to get sugar from natural sources
such as fruit and vegetables. Here, they are locked into the structure of the food,
which makes them far less harmful to health than ‘added sugar’. That’s because
the sugars are much less concentrated in fruit and vegetables and also because
fibre slows the absorption of sugar. This means you don’t get a sharp rise in blood
sugar and insulin. Less insulin means less fat storage. Also, these foods are very
difficult to over-eat.
On balance, athletes and regular exercisers need not be over-concerned
about sugar. Small amounts are unlikely to do you any harm and provided you
time your sugar intake around exercise, it may even aid your performance. Ideally,
opt for sources that also provide other nutrients, for example bananas and other
fruit. While fruit juice and smoothies contain more vitamins, they contain a similar
amount of sugar to soft drinks (around 10 g/100 ml), which is rapidly absorbed,
meaning they are not necessarily a healthier option. Here are some general rules:

■ During training sessions lasting more than 60 minutes, consuming squash,

diluted fruit juice and sports drinks, bananas, dried fruit or cereal bars will help
fuel tiring muscles and improve your endurance.
■ After intense exercise lasting more than 60 minutes, you’ll need carbo­hydrate
to re-stock your glycogen, so sugar in flavoured milk, yoghurt, milkshakes or
bars can be useful.
■ At other times, if you want something sweet, opt for foods that contain fibre
(to mitigate the rise in blood glucose) and other nutrients: fresh fruit, dried
fruit, yoghurt, dried fruit and nut bars, or granola bars.
■ Drink water or milk as a rule, although other unsweetened drinks such as tea
and coffee also count towards hydration.

Simple or complex carbohydrate?

Carbohydrate are traditionally classified as simple (mono- or disaccharides)
or complex (polysaccharides) according to the number of sugar units in the

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molecules. But this tells you very little about their effect on your body and your
blood glucose level. Nowadays, carbohydrate are more commonly categorised
according to their glycaemic index (GI).

What is the glycaemic index (GI)?

The GI was developed by David Jenkins in 1982. He discovered that, contrary
to popular belief, many starchy foods affected blood glucose levels quite
dramatically, while some sugary foods had little effect.
The GI is a ranking of foods from 0 to 100 based on their immediate effect on
blood sugar levels. It’s a measure of how quickly the food turns into glucose in the
bloodstream. To make a fair comparison, all foods are ranked against a reference
food, normally glucose, and are tested in equivalent carbohydrate amounts.
Glucose has a GI score of 100.
High-GI foods cause a rapid rise in blood glucose levels and have a GI number
above 70 (glucose has the highest score at 100). They include refined starchy
foods such as potatoes, cornflakes, white bread and white rice as well as sugary
foods such as soft drinks, biscuits and sweets.
Foods classed as low-GI foods fall below 55 and produce a slower and smaller
rise in blood glucose levels. They include beans, lentils, coarse-grain breads,
muesli, fruit and dairy products. Moderate-GI foods such as porridge, rice and
sweet potatoes have a GI between 55 and 70.
Protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, chicken and eggs and pure fats such as
oils, butter and margarine contain no carbohydrate so these foods have no GI
value. But adding these foods to meals will slow the digestion and absorption of
carbohydrate from the gut, and thus reduce the GI of the entire meal. Cooking
and ripening (of fruits) tends to increase the GI value.

So which carbohydrate when?

You can use the GI value of foods to help you plan what to eat and drink around
your training session or competition. In general, high-GI foods and drinks are
useful during moderate- to high-intensity exercise lasting longer than an hour.
As they are digested rapidly, they help maintain blood glucose levels and provide
readily available fuel for your muscles. Similarly, after exercise, high-GI foods and
drinks will help restore muscle glycogen stores faster, particularly when combined
with protein in a ratio of approximately 3 to 1 (see page 49). Before exercise, it is
best to consume a low-GI meal about 2–4 hours beforehand as this will provide
a more sustained rise in blood glucose. Alternatively, a high-GI snack consumed
about 30 minutes before exercise will help maintain blood glucose longer during
your workout (there’s more about this in Chapter 2).

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In a nutshell:
Focus on low- or moderate-GI foods for your day-to-day meals. These help
regulate blood glucose and insulin levels, promote glycogen recovery between
training sessions, keep your energy levels constant, and also lower your risk of
developing type 2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease (all of which are
associated with high insulin levels). If you want to eat high-GI foods, eat them
with fats and protein to lower the GI of the meal.
Eat high-GI foods or drinks immediately before, during (if exercising for more
than an hour) and immediately after training. These help raise blood glucose
quickly so can help increase endurance and speed recovery.
Table 1.4 provides a quick guide to foods with a high, moderate and low GI.

Table 1.4 The Glycaemic Index (GI) of foods

Low GI (< 55)

Peanuts 14 Spaghetti 38 Carrots 47
Fructose 19 Apples 38 Bulgur wheat 48
Cherries 22 Tinned peaches (in fruit juice) 39 Peas 48
Grapefruit 25 Pear 38 Baked beans 48
Lentils (red) 26 Yoghurt drink 38 Muesli 49
Whole milk 27 Protein bar 38 Boiled potato 50
Chick peas 28 Plum 39 Rye bread 50
Red kidney beans 28 Apple juice 40 Mango 51
Lentils (green/brown) 30 Strawberries 40 Strawberry jam 51
Butter beans 31 All-Bran 42 Banana 52
Apricot (dried) 31 Orange 42 Orange juice 52
Meal replacement bar 31 Peach 42 Kiwi fruit 53
Skimmed milk 32 Milk chocoate 43 Buckwheat 54
Protein shake 32 Muffin, apple 44 Sweetcorn 54
Fruit yoghurt , fruit (low-fat) 32 Sponge cake 46 Crisps 54
Chocolate milk 34 Grapes 46 Muesli (Alpen) 55
Custard 35 Pineapple juice 46 Honey 55
Plain low-fat yoghurt 36 Macaroni 47 Brown rice 55

Moderate GI (56–69)
Potato – boiled, old 56 Apricots 57 Digestive biscuits 59
Sultanas 56 Porridge 58 Pineapple 59
Energy bar 56 Basmatic rice 58 Pizza 60
Pitta bread 57 Squash (diluted) 58 Ice cream 61

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Sweet potato 61 Raisins 64 Croissant 67

Muesli bar 61 Couscous 65 Sucrose 68
Tortillas/corn chips 63 Cantaloupe melon 65 Weetabix 74
White rice 64 Mars bar 65 Shredded wheat 75
Shortbread 64 Instant porridge 66
High GI (>70)
White bread 70 Cheerios 74 Cornflakes 81
Millet 71 Bran flakes 74 Rice Krispies 82
Wholemeal bread 71 Mashed potato 74 Baked potato 85
Bagel 72 Chips 75 French baguette 95
Breakfast cereal bar (crunchy 72 Rice cakes 78 Lucozade 95
nut cornflakes)
Watermelon 72 Gatorade 78
Source: Adapted with permission from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, © Am J Clin Nutr
American Society for Nutrition (Foster-Powell et al., 2002).

What is the glycaemic load?

While GI is a very useful concept, it’s not the sole predictor of the effects of eating
a particular food. That is because blood glucose response is also determined by
the amount of food eaten. The glycaemic load (GL) gives you a more accurate idea
of how a food behaves in your body. Unlike GI, it takes account of the portion size
(i.e. the number of carbohydrate you are eating), so can be regarded as a measure
of both the quantity and quality of the carbohydrate.
It is calculated as follows:
GL = (GI x carbohydrate per portion) ÷ 100
One unit of GL is roughly equivalent to the glycaemic effect of 1 g of glucose.
An example for watermelon:
GL = (72 × 6) x 100 = 4.3

GI value GL value Daily GL total

Low 0–55 0–10 0–80
Medium 56–70 11–19 80–120
High 71–100 > 20 >120

For optimal glycogen storage and minimal fat storage, aim to achieve a small or
moderate glycaemic load – eat little and often, avoid overloading on carbohydrate,
and stick to balanced combinations of carbohydrate, protein and fat.

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Low-GI eating at a glance

Essentially, a low-GI diet comprises of carbohydrate with a and cracked wheat or those containing sunflower seeds or
low GI as well as lean protein and fats. Low-GI foods include: linseeds, chapati and pitta breads (unleavened), pumper-
nickel (rye kernel) bread, and sourdough bread.
Fresh fruit
The more acidic the fruit, the lower the GI. Apples, pears, Low-GI breakfast cereals
oranges, grapefruit, peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots These include porridge, muesli and other oat- or rye-based
have the lowest GI values while tropical fruits such as pine­ cereals, and high-bran cereals (e.g. All-Bran).
apple, papaya and watermelon have higher values. However,
Low-GI grains
as average portion size is small, the GL (see page 15) would
These include bulgur wheat, noodles, oats, pasta, basmati
be low.
rice (not ordinary brown or white rice).

Low-GI beans and lentils

These include chickpeas, red kidney beans, baked beans,
cannellini beans, mung beans, black-eyed beans, butter
beans, split peas and lentils.

Low-GI nuts and seeds

Nuts include almonds, brazils, cashews, hazelnuts, pine nuts,
pistachios and peanuts. Seeds include sunflower, sesame,
flax and pumpkin seeds.

Fresh vegetables
Most vegetables have a very low carbohydrate content and
don’t have a GI value (you would need to eat enormous
amounts to get a significant rise in blood glucose). The
exception is potatoes, which have a high GI. For a lower-GI
meal, eat them with protein and/or fat, e.g. with butter and
beans, cheese or tuna.

Low-GI starchy vegetables

These include sweetcorn (GI 46–48), sweet potato (GI 46),
and yam (GI 37). Fish, lean meat, poultry and eggs
These contain no carbohydrate and have no GI value.
Low-GI breads
These include stoneground wholemeal bread (not ordinary Low-fat dairy products
wholemeal bread), fruit or malt loaf, wholegrain bread with Milk, cheese and yoghurt are important for their calcium and
lots of grainy bits, breads containing barley, rye, oats, soy protein content. Opt for lower-fat versions where possible.

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Which is best – GI or GL?

A major problem with the GI is that it doesn’t take account of portion size, and so
it can create a falsely bad impression of a food. For example, watermelon with a
GI of 72 – classified as a high-GI food – is off the menu on a low-GI diet. However,
an average slice (120 g/4.2 oz) provides only 6 g of carbohydrate – not enough
to raise your blood glucose level significantly. You would need to eat 720 g of
watermelon to obtain 50 g of carbohydrate – the amount used in the GI test.
Another drawback is that some high-fat foods have a low GI, which gives it a
falsely favourable impression. For example, crisps have a lower GI (54) than baked
potatoes (85). But they are easy to over-eat because they are not very filling.

Can GI help weight loss?

Foods with a low GI are generally more nutritious than higher-GI foods, but to
lose weight you still have to consume fewer calories than you burn. In theory,
a low-GI diet should be filling and satisfying because many foods with a low GI
are high in fibre and take longer to digest, thus helping to curb your appetite. In
practice, it’s quite easy to unwittingly load up on calories. Muesli (GI 49), boiled
potatoes (GI 50), spaghetti (GI 48) and sponge cake (GI 46) are all low-GI foods,
but are also relatively high in calories. Even milk chocolate has low GI (43), but
provides as many as 240 calories (1,004 kJ) per 45 g bar!
There have been no long-term studies, but of the short-term studies to date
only about half have found that low-GI foods reduce hunger, increase satiety
(feelings of fullness) or reduce overall food intake. No difference in satiety or
food intake was found in the remaining half. A study published in the American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2004 found that weight loss on a low-GI diet was no
different to that on a high-GI diet (Sloth, 2004). Clearly, you still have to keep a rein
on portion sizes and reduce carbohydrate.

3. Fibre
Why do you need fibre?
Fibre is the term used to describe the complex carbohydrate found in plants
that are resistant to digestion. There are two kinds of fibre – insoluble and
soluble. Most plant foods contain both, but proportions vary. Good sources of
insoluble fibre include whole grains, such as wholegrain bread, pasta and rice
and vegetables. These help to speed the passage of food through your gut, and
prevent constipation and bowel problems. Soluble fibre, found in oats, beans,
lentils, nuts, fruit and vegetables, reduces LDL cholesterol levels and helps
control blood glucose levels by slowing glucose absorption. High-fibre foods are
beneficial for weight loss as they fill you up and promote satiety.

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Benefits of a high-fibre diet

✔ Helps maintain bowel health they are more filling and take longer to digest in your
A high-fibre diet may lower your risk of developing haemor­ stomach. A study of almost 3,000 adults in the USA showed
rhoids and small pouches in your colon (diverticular disease) that over ten years the people eating the most fibre gained
and also bowel cancer. Low-fibre intakes can lead to slow less weight than those with the lowest intake of fibre. Fibre
transit times (the time taken for food to pass through the gut) also increases a food’s ‘chewing time’ so that your body has
and often result in constipation. time to register that you are no longer hungry. This will make
you less likely to over-eat and help you feel full for longer.
✔ Lowers cholesterol levels
Soluble fibre found in beans, lentils, oats, fruit and vege­tables ✔ Reduces cancer risk
may help lower total and LDL blood cholesterol levels. Studies In countries with traditionally high-fibre diets, diseases such
have also shown that fibre may have other heart-health bene­ as bowel cancer, diabetes and coronary heart disease are
fits, such as reducing blood pressure and inflammation. much less common than in the West. However, scientists are
unclear as to whether these benefits are due to fibre itself
✔ Helps control blood sugar levels
or to other nutrients found naturally in fibre-rich foods. The
Fibre, particularly soluble fibre, can slow the absorption of
European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition
glucose and help improve blood glucose control. A healthy
(EPIC) study of 519, 978 indi­viduals, recruited from ten
diet that includes insoluble fibre may also reduce the risk of
European countries, found that in populations with low
developing type 2 diabetes.
average intake of dietary fibre, an approximate doubling
✔ Helps weight control of total fibre intake from foods could reduce the risk of
Fibre-rich foods are especially beneficial for weight control as colorectal cancer by 40 per cent.

How much do you need?

The Department of Health recommends 18 g of fibre a day, although the Guideline
Daily Amount (GDA) you’ll see on food labels is 24 g – the discrepancy is due to
different measurement methods. The average intake in the UK is around 13–14 g/
day, which is considerably less than the 80–130 g eaten daily by our ancestors
5,000 years ago (according to estimates by scientists at the Paleobiotic Laboratory
in New Orleans, USA).

4. Protein
Protein is made up of amino acids joined together in a chain. The body makes
some of these amino acids; however, there are some that it cannot make and that
therefore need to be consumed in the diet. These are called essential amino acids,
of which there are nine (there are 20 in total).

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Why do I need protein?

Protein is a structural component of the body needed for growth, formation and
repair of all body cells, including muscle, bone, skin, hair and organs. It is also
needed for making enzymes, hormones and antibodies. Along with this, the body
can also use protein as a fuel.

How much protein do I need?

The Recommended Daily Amount (RDA) for the general population is 0.75 g/kg
of body weight a day. For example, for a 70 kg person the amount would be 53 g.
Regular exercisers need more protein than inactive people – around 50 to
100 per cent more than the dietary guidelines for the general public – to repair
damaged muscle cells after intense exercise, as well as to build new muscle cells.
You’ll need 1.3–1.8 g of protein/kg of body weight daily, depending on your sport
and how hard and how long you train (Phillips and Van Loon, 2011; Rodriques et
al., 2009; Phillips, 2007). If you do mostly endurance activities, such as running,
aim to consume 1.2–1.4 g protein/kg of body weight a day. That’s 84–98 g daily
for a 70 kg person. If you include regular strength and power activities such as
weight training in your programme, aim for 1.4–1.8 g/kg of body weight a day.
This is 98–126 g daily for a 70 kg person.
Adolescent athletes will need extra protein to account for growth and
development as well as the exercise-related requirement. Scientists estimate
that they need around 1.2–1.4 g/kg of body weight (Boisseau et al., 2007). That’s
72–84 g for a 60 kg athlete.

What happens if you get too little or too much protein?

Skimping on protein occasionally isn’t a problem as the body can adapt to low
intakes in the short term by recycling amino acids (rather than excreting them).
But, in the long term, eating too little protein can cause fatigue and slow recovery
after workouts. It can also result in a loss of muscle tissue and strength.
Consuming more protein than you need is unlikely to be a problem pro­vided
it isn’t excessive. Excess protein is broken down and partly excreted (in the form
of urea) and the rest of the molecule used as a fuel source. Contrary to popular
belief, excess protein isn’t harmful. It doesn’t cause liver or kidney damage in
healthy people, nor does it cause dehydration or bone mineral loss. On the other
hand, extra protein won’t give you any performance benefits either. Studies have
demonstrated that eating more than you need for daily repair does not result in
additional muscle growth, strength, stamina or speed.

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Does protein help with appetite control?

Protein plays an important role in appetite control. It is more satiating than
carbohydrate or fat, so is particularly important for those wishing to lose or
maintain weight without sacrificing muscle. When you consume protein, gut
hormones are released that signal to the appetite control centre in the brain
that you are satiated, so you stop eating. Also, specific amino acids from the
breakdown of protein (namely, leucine) acts on the hypothalamus region of the
brain to reduce hunger (Davidenko et al., 2013).
Studies have shown that consuming a high-protein breakfast improves
appetite control and stops food cravings later in the day (Leidy et al., 2011). In
one UK study, those who ate eggs for breakfast felt more satisfied and went on to
eat fewer calories in the day than those who ate a high-carbohydrate breakfast of
cereal or croissants (Fallaize et al., 2012).
In practice, you should include around 20 g protein in each meal, equivalent
to about 85–100 g meat or fish or 600 ml milk (Rodrigues et al., 2009). Eating a
carbohydrate-rich meal lacking in protein (e.g. a jam sandwich) means you will
feel hungry soon after eating. Avoid this by adding some protein (e.g. eggs, meat
or cheese) and reducing your carbohydrate portion (e.g. bread).

How should I get my daily protein needs?

Different protein sources come with other nutrients (e.g. milk gives you calcium
and oily fish gives you omega-3s) so it is a good idea to eat a mix of foods high
in protein. That way you will get a good balance of amino acids as well as a wider
range of other nutrients such as fibre, vitamins, minerals and carbohydrate. Table
1.5 (overleaf ) gives the protein content of various foods, but you can also get an
idea of your protein intake by checking the labels of foods or using the free online
database: http://www.food-database.co.uk/ for the amounts of protein in foods.
Animal sources such as poultry, fish, meat, dairy products and eggs generally
have a higher biological value (BV) than plant sources such as tofu, QuornTM,
beans, lentils, nuts and cereals. That is, they contain higher levels of amino acids
in a form that is readily digested.

When should I have protein?

You should balance your protein intake throughout the day, aiming to have about
20 g of protein in one sitting. Your body can only fully utilise a limited amount at
a time, so try to distribute your protein intake evenly in between your meals and
include protein in snacks. Eating more than 20g of protein isn’t a problem (it will
still get absorbed) but won’t necessarily increase muscle synthesis.

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Studies suggest that consuming 20 g protein immediately after exer­cise will

maximise muscle repair and promote a more anabolic hormonal environment. The
type of protein eaten after exercise is important – high-quality proteins, par­ticularly
fast-absorbed proteins (such as whey), are considered optimal for recovery.

Table 1.5 The protein content of various foods

Food Protein Food Protein

(g) (g)
Meat and fish Beans and lentils
Beef sirloin steak (85 g) 21 g Baked beans (200 g) 10 g
Chicken or turkey breast (125 g) 36 g Lentils (150 g cooked) 13 g
Fish, e.g. salmon or haddock 30 g Red kidney beans (150 g, cooked) 10 g
fillet (150 g) 24 g Chickpeas (150 g, cooked) 11 g
Tuna, canned in brine (100 g)
Soya and QuornTM products
Dairy products Soy milk (600 ml) 20 g
1 slice (40 g) Cheddar cheese 10 g Tofu burger (60 g) 5g
600 ml milk 21 g QuornTM burger (50 g) 6g
Low-fat plain yoghurt (150 g) 7g Grains and cereals
Greek plain yoghurt (150 g) 10 g Wholemeal bread (2 slices, 80 g) 7g
3 eggs (size 3) 21 g Wholegrain rice (180 g, cooked) 5g
Wholegrain spaghetti (180 g, cooked) 9g
Nuts and seeds
Quinoa (180 g, uncooked) 8g
Peanuts (50 g) 12 g
Cashews (50 g) 9g Protein supplements
Almonds (50 g) 11 g Whey protein powder (25 g) 20 g*
Peanut butter (20 g) 5g Meal replacement powder (25 g) 13 g*
Pumpkin seeds (25 g) 6g 1 nutrition (sports) bar (60 g) 21 g*

*Values may vary depending on brand

Amino acids in protein explained

Proteins are made up of 20 amino acids, of which 9 are ‘essential’, meaning they
can’t be made by the body, so must be provided by the food and drink you
consume. The 9 essential amino acids that your body can’t make itself are:

n   Histidine n   Lysine n   Threonine

n   Isoleucine n   Methionine n   Tryptophan
n   Leucine n   Phenylalanine n   Valine

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All 9 of these essential amino acids have to be present for your body to use
food proteins properly. Animal protein sources, as well as soya, contain a good
balance of these essential amino acids. But not all proteins are equal – some don’t
have enough of all the essential amino acids to satisfy your body’s needs. These
include plant proteins such as beans, lentils, grains and nuts. The general rule is to
combine plant proteins to make a full complement of amino acids (e.g. beans on
toast, lentils and rice, peanut butter with bread). The ‘non-essential amino acids’
are listed below. They are made by the body from essential amino acids or in the
normal breakdown of proteins:

n   Alanine n   Glutamic acid n   Cysteine n   Proline

n   Asparagine n   Serine n   Glutamine n   Tyrosine the importance of fat
n   Aspartic acid n   Arginine n   Glycine
n Essential for cell membrane
5. Fat functionality
Why do you need fat? n Plays a crucial role in the
Fat is not only a fuel for the body, but is also crucial for health. It is made up of absorption and transportation
fatty acids, which are essential components of every membrane of every cell of essential vitamins
in your body. Without fatty acids, membranes would not function properly. n Eaten with fibre, it helps you
Fat is also needed to absorb and transport the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and stay fuller for longer
K in the bloodstream, and is a source of the essential omega-3 and omega-6
polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Fat itself may be high in calories, but that doesn’t mean it’s more likely to make
you fat. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Fat is satiating, which means it gives the
body the feeling of being full and therefore satisfies your appetite. By contrast,
reduced-fat and low-fat foods are more likely to be fattening as these foods are
not satiating. Without fat (and fibre) in the mix, you are left hungry soon after
eating, seek out more food, thus setting up a vicious cycle of over-eating.

How much fat?

The IOC makes no specific recommendations for fat although the ACSM suggests
athletes follow the fat guidelines for the general population (20–35 per cent)
(this is too contentious given recent media coverage and subsequent argument
between scientists and dieticians!)
Since the publication of the 3rd edition of this book, new evidence about
fat, obesity and health has emerged and previous advice to limit dietary fat is
less certain. UK national dietary guidelines were first issued in 1984 by the
Department of Health, based on studies (namely Ancel Keys’s Seven Countries
study) that suggested heart disease was caused by eating too much fat (Keys,

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1980). These studies have now been re-examined and the link
LOW-CARB vs. HIGH CARB DIETS FOR
between fat and heart disease has been proven to be weak
ATHLETES
by more recent and rigorous randomised controlled trials, i.e.
better-quality studies!
A few well-known scientists have recently challenged
For example, the large-scale Women’s Health Initiative study
the conventional high carb diet dogma and have sug-
for the prevention of cardiovascular disease found no benefit
gested that athletes can perform as well or better on a
of a low-fat diet (Howard et al., 2006). Those who followed
low carb diet.
the low-fat advice did not reduce their risk of heart disease or
The consensus of research suggests that carbo­
stroke over eight years compared with those eating a higher-
hydrate is required to fuel activities above 65 per cent
fat diet. Despite this, advice to eat a low-fat diet still forms
VO2 max – low glycogen levels result in early fatigue
the basis of UK and other countries’ dietary guidelines and
and reduced endurance. One study by University of
food policy.
Connecticut researchers concluded that a low carb diet
did not compromise endurance performance, but this
Does fat make you fat? study involved just five subjects (Phinney et al., 1983).
Despite a reduction in population fat intakes over the past 30
The problem is that there have been no properly con-
years, obesity has risen 10-fold and in 2011 (the last available
trolled trials comparing low carb and high carb diets on
figures at the time of publication) was 26 per cent for women
athletic performance while keeping protein the same.
and 24 per cent for men. The proportion of people either obese
When it comes to weight loss, body compo­sition and
or overweight was 58 per cent for women and 65 per cent for
heart health, low carbohydrate diets may have advan-
men. Similarly, type 2 diabetes rates have risen dramatically
tages over low fat diets for some people. For example,
from 800,000 in 1980 to 3 million in 2013.
those with insulin resistance. But the evidence from
So why have obesity and diabetes rates been rising? It’s
large meta-analyses suggests low carb diets are overall
certainly not due to people eating fat as intakes have actually
no worse or better than low fat diets (Hu, et al., 2012,
fallen. One of the problems is that people have been cutting
Johnston et al., 2006). The reason low carb diets are
fat and replacing it with sugar and highly processed refined
effective for weight loss is they provide more protein
carbohydrate – a recipe for disaster. A high-carbohydrate, low-
and fat, which increases satiety, so you spontaneously
fat diet can increase blood triglyceride (fat) levels and makes a
eat fewer calories.
heart attack more likely than eating a high-fat diet (Astrup et al.,
Generally, athletes are more insulin sensitive than
2010; Volek and Forsythe, 2005).
non-athletes so will perform better on a higher carb
diet. Elite endurance athletes from Kenya and Ethiopia
The different types of fats attribute their success to a high carb diet containing
When we refer to saturated, monounsaturated or poly­
9–10g/kg, well within the current ISSN and ACSM
unsaturated fats, we’re referring to the number of double
(Onywerw et al., 2004; Beiss et al., 2011) recommen­
bonds in the fatty acid molecules:
dations. At the moment, in the absence of randomised
n Saturated fats contain no double bonds. controlled trials, it’s not possible to make a convincing
case for low carb diets for all athletes. The truth is that
n Monounsaturated fats contain one double bond.
no one diet fits all.
n Polyunsaturated fats contain two or more double bonds.

21

01bFFF_9781472901996_txt.indd 21 19/12/2013 22:35

Another random document with
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The Project Gutenberg eBook of Second census
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States
and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
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Title: Second census

Author: John Victor Peterson

Illustrator: John Schoenherr

Release date: September 14, 2023 [eBook #71645]

Language: English

Original publication: New York, NY: Royal Publications, Inc, 1957

Credits: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed

Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SECOND

CENSUS ***
 Second Census

By JOHN VICTOR PETERSON

Illustrated by SCHOENHERR

Quintuplets alone would be bad enough, without

a census taker who could count them in advance!

[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from

Infinity October 1957.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
In addition to being a genius in applied atomics, Maitland Browne's a
speedster, a practical joker, and a spare-time dabbler in electronics.
As far as speed's concerned, I had a very special reason for wanting
to get home early tonight, and swift straight flight would have been
perfectly okay with me. The trouble was that Browne decided that this
was his night to work on Fitzgerald.
Browne lifted the three passenger jetcopter—his contribution to our
commuterpool—from the flight stage at Brookhaven National
Laboratories in a strictly prosaic manner. Then the flight-fiend in him
came out with a vengeance. Suddenly and simultaneously he set the
turbo-jets to full thrust and dived to treetop level; then he started
hedgehopping toward Long Island Sound. His heavy dark features
were sardonic in the rear-view mirror; his narrowed, speculative eyes
flicked to it intermittently to scan Ed Fitzgerald beside me.
Browne's action didn't surprise, startle, or even frighten me at first. I'd
seen the mildly irritated look in his eyes when Fitzgerald had come
meandering up—late as usual!—to the ship back on the stage. I had
rather expected some startling development; provoking Ed Fitzgerald
to a measurable nervous reaction was one of Browne's burning
ambitions. I also had a certain positive hunch that Fitzgerald's
tardiness was deliberate.
In any event my mind was ninety per cent elsewhere. Tessie—my
wife—had visifoned me from Doc Gardiner's office in New Canaan
just before I'd left my office at the Labs and had told me with high
elation that we were destined to become the proud parents of
quintuplets! I was, therefore, now going back bewilderedly over our
respective family trees, seeking a precedent in the genes.
I was shocked out of my genealogical pursuits when Browne
skimmed between the tall stereo towers near Middle Island. I
prayerfully looked at Fitzgerald for assistance in persuading Browne
to cease and desist, but Fitzgerald was staring as imperturbably as
ever at Browne's broad back, a faintly derisive smile on his face.
I should have expected that. Even a major cataclysm couldn't budge
Fitzgerald. I've seen him damp an atomic pile only milliseconds from
critical mass without batting an eye before, during or after.
I tried to console myself. But while I knew Browne's reaction time was
uncommonly fast and his years of 'copter flight singularly accident-
free, I still could not relax. Not tonight, with the knowledge that I was
a prospective father of not just the first but the first five. I wanted to
get home to Tessie in a hurry, certainly, but I wanted to get there all in
one proud piece.
Browne went from bad to worse and began kissing the 'copter's belly
on the waves in Long Island Sound. The skipping stone effect was
demoralizing. Then, trying to top that, he hedgehopped so low on the
mainland that the jets blew the last stubbornly clinging leaves from
every oak tree we near-missed crossing Connecticut to our
destination on the Massachusetts border.
Fitzgerald was the only one who talked on the way. Browne was too
intent on his alleged driving. I was, frankly, too scared for intelligible
conversation. It wasn't until later, in fact, that I realized that Ed
Fitzgerald's monologue had clearly solved a problem we were having
on adjusting the new cosmotron at the Labs.
"We made good time tonight," Browne said, finally easing up as we
neared home.
Fitzgerald grinned.
I found my voice after a moment and said, "It's a good thing radar
doesn't pick up objects that low or C.A.A. would be breathing down
your fat neck! As it is, I think the cops at Litchfield have probably 'cast
a summons to your p. o. tray by now. That was the mayor's 'copter
you almost clipped."
Browne shrugged as if he'd worry about it—maybe!—if it happened.
He's top physicist at the Labs. In addition to his abilities, that means
he has connections.
We dropped imperturbable Fitzgerald on his roofstage at the lower
end of Nutmeg Street; then Browne dropped a relieved me two blocks
up and proceeded the five blocks to his enormous solar house at the
hill's summit.
I energized the passenger shaft, buttoned it to optimum descent and
dropped to first. There was a note from Tessie saying she'd gone
shopping with Fitzgerald's wife, Miriam. So I'd start celebrating alone!
I punched the servomech for Scotch-on-the-rocks. As I sat sipping it I
kept thinking about Maitland Browne. It wasn't just the recollection of
the ride from Brookhaven. It was also the Scotch. Association.
I thought back to the night Tessie and I had gone up to Browne's to
spend the evening, and Browne invited me to sit in a new plush chair.
I sat all right, but promptly found that I was completely unable to rise
despite the fact that I was in full possession of my faculties. He'd then
taken our respective wives for a midnight 'copter ride, leaving me to
escape the chair's invisible embrace if I could. I couldn't.
Luckily he'd forgotten that his liquor cabinet was within arm's reach of
the chair; I'd made devastating inroads on a pinch bottle by the time
they'd returned. He switched off his psionic machine but fast then,
and didn't ever try to trap me in it again!
The visifone buzzed and I leaped to it, thinking of Tessie out shopping
in her delicate condition—
I felt momentary relief, then startlement.
It was Fitzgerald—Fitzgerald with fair features flushed, Fitzgerald the
imperturbable one stammering with excitement!
"Now, wait a second!" I said in amazement. "Calm down, for Heaven's
sake! What's this about a census?"
"Well, are they taking one now?"
"By 'they' I presume you mean the Bureau of the Census of the U. S.
Department of Commerce," I said, trying to slow him down, while
wondering what in the name of a reversed cyclotron could have jarred
him so.
He spluttered. "Who else? Well, are they?"
"Not to my knowledge. They took it only last year. Won't do it again
until 1970. Why?"
"As I was trying to tell you, a fellow who said he was a census taker
was just here and damn it, Jim, he wanted to know my considered
ideas of natural resources, birth control, immigration, racial
discrimination, UFO's and half a dozen other things. He threw the
questions at me so fast I became thoroughly confused. What with me
still thinking about the cosmotron, wondering if Brownie will stop
riding me before I do break down, and wondering where Miriam is, I
just had to slow him down so that I could piece together the answers.
"Just about then he staggered as if a fifth of hundred-proof bourbon
had caught up with him and reeled out without a fare-thee-well. I
didn't see which way he went because Jim Moran—he's the new
fellow in the house just down the hill—Jim called to see if the fellow
had been here yet and what I thought of him. If he hit Jim's before
me, that means he should be getting to you within the next half-hour
or so."
My front door chimed.
"Sorry, Fitz," I said. "This must be Tessie. She was coming home on
the surface bus. Miriam's with her, so that's one worry off your mind.
Take it easy. I'll call you back."

But it wasn't Tessie. It was a man, dressed in a dark brown business

suit that was tight on his big frame. His face was a disturbing one,
eyes set so wide apart you had trouble meeting them up close and
felt embarrassed shifting your gaze from one to the other.
"Mr. James Rainford?" he asked rhetorically.
"Yes?"
"I'm from the Bureau of the Census," he said calmly.
This couldn't be the same fellow Fitzgerald had encountered. There
must be a group of them covering the neighborhood. In any event,
this man was cold sober. Further, the fastest Olympic runner couldn't
have made the two long blocks from Fitzgerald's house in the time
that had elapsed and this fellow wasn't even breathing hard.
"Let's see your credentials," I said.
I wasn't sure whether he hesitated because he couldn't remember
which pocket they were in or for some other reason; anyway, he did
produce credentials and they were headed U. S. Department of
Commerce, Bureau of the Census, and looked very proper indeed.
But I still couldn't quite believe it. "But the census was taken last
year," I said.
"We have to recheck this area," he said smoothly. "We have reason
to believe that the records are inaccurate."
His eyes were harder to meet than ever.
"Excuse me," I said and stepped out on the stoop, looking down the
hill toward Fitzgerald's house.
Not only was Fitzgerald standing on his tropic forelawn, but so were
the dozen household heads in between, each and every one of them
staring fixedly at the pair of us on my stoop.
"Come in," I said perplexedly and led the way.
When I turned to face him I found that he'd swung a square black box
which resembled a miniature cathode ray oscilloscope from behind
his back and was busily engaged in punching multi-colored buttons
tinging the dim raster. I'm a gadget man—cybernetics is my forte—but
I'm afraid I stared. The most curious wave-forms I have ever seen
were purple-snaking across the 'scope.
"It's a combination memory storage bank and recorder," he explained.
"Electronic shorthand. I'm reading the data which your wife gave to us
and which I'll ask you to verify."
The gadget was a new one to me. I made a mental note to renew my
subscription to Scientific American.
"Married," he said. "Ah, yes, expecting!"
"Now will you stop right there!" I cried. "That couldn't be on your
records! A year ago we certainly weren't expecting! Now, look—"
But he kept on with most peculiar enthusiasm. "Quintuplets! Sure!
Three boys and two girls! My congratulations, Mr. Rainford. Thank
you for your time!"
I stood there dazed. Nobody but Doctor Gardiner, Tessie and myself
—well, maybe Miriam Fitzgerald by this time—knew we were
expecting. Even Gardiner couldn't know the division of sexes among
the foetal group at this early stage of development!
I had to find a way to delay this strange man.
"Let's see your credentials again," I demanded as my mind raced:
Oh, where's Tessie? What was it Fitz had said? Brownie, maybe
Brownie, can explain—
The census taker pulled papers from his pocket, then reeled as
though drunk. He staggered backward against and out of the door,
the autoclose slamming it behind him.
I jerked open the door and jumped out on the stoop.
In those few seconds the man had vanished—
No! There he was fifty feet away ringing Mike Kozulak's bell. And he
was erect, completely steady!
But nobody could move that fast!

I turned back and picked up the papers he'd dropped. There was a
little sheaf of them, printed on incredibly thin paper. The printing
resembled the wave-forms I had seen upon the 'scope. It was like
some twisted Arabic script. And this strange script was overprinted on
a star-chart which I thought I recognized.
I plumbed my mind, I had it! In a star identification course at M. I. T.
they had given us star-charts showing us the galaxy as seen from
another star which we were asked to identify. One of those charts at
M. I. T. had been almost exactly the same as this: the galaxy as
viewed from Alpha Centauri!
I was stunned. I staggered a bit as I went back out on the stoop and
looked down the street. I welcomed the sight of Ed Fitzgerald
hurrying up across the neighbors' forelawns, uprooting some of the
burbanked tropical plants en route.
By the time Fitzgerald reached me, the census taker had come out of
Mike Kozulak's like a fission-freed neutron, staggered a few times in
an orbit around one of Mike's greenhouse-shelled shrubs, and
actually streaked across the two vacant lots between Mike's and
Manny Cohen's.
"He's not human," I said to Ed. "Not Earth-human. I'll swear he's from
Alpha Centauri; look at these papers! What he's after Heaven knows,
but maybe we can find out. It's a cinch he'll eventually reach Maitland
Browne's. Let's get there fast; maybe we'll be able to trap him!"
I dragged Fitzgerald inside and we went up the passenger shaft
under optimum ascent.
My little Ponticopter's jets seared the roof garden as I blasted forward
before the vanes had lifted us clear of the stage. I think I out-Browned
Browne in going those five blocks and I know I laid the foundation for
a Mrs. Browne vs. Mr. Rainford feud as I dropped my 'copter with
dismaying results into the roof garden which was her idea of Eden. I
had to, though; Brownie's is a one-copter stage and his ship was on
it.
We beat the alien. We looked back down the hill before we entered
Brownie's passenger shaft. The fellow was just staggering out of Jack
Wohl's rancher at the lower end of this last block.
We found Browne working on a stripped-down stereo chassis which
had been carelessly laid without protective padding in the middle of
the highly polished dining table. I knew then that his wife couldn't
possibly be home.
Browne looked up as if he were accustomed to unannounced people
dropping into his reception chute.
"To what do I owe the honor of—" he started. Fitzgerald interrupted
him with a stammered burst that brought a pleased grin to his broad
features.
"Well, Fitz," Browne said. "Where's the old control?"
Fitzgerald fumed. I took over and explained swiftly.
"Well, this is a problem," Browne said thoughtfully. "Now why in the
world—"
His front door chimed and became one-way transparent. We saw the
alien standing on the stoop, erect and calm.
"Now what will—" Fitzgerald started. "We thought maybe—the chair,
Brownie!"
Browne grinned and pressed a button on the table console. He has
them in every room—to control at his whim any of the dozens of
electronic and mechanical equipments located throughout his
enormous house.
The front door opened and the alien entered as Browne cried "Come
in!"
Browne flicked over a switch marked Lock 1st Fl as he rose and went
into the living room. We followed him warily.

The alien glanced back at the closed door with a trace of annoyance
on his broad features; then regarded us imperturbably as we
advanced.
"Mr. Fitzgerald and Mr. Rainford," he said flatly. "Well, this is a
surprise!"
He didn't sound sincere.
"Have a seat," Browne said, waving a big hand toward the chair.
The alien shook his head negatively.
Browne gave Fitzgerald and me a quick glance, inclining his head
forward. We promptly accelerated our advance.
"Look," Browne said, his dark face intense, "we know you're not what
you pretend to be. We know you're not of our country, not of our
world, not even of our solar system. Sit down in that chair!"
He lunged forward, grasping with his big hands, as we leaped at the
alien from either flank.
The alien didn't just move—he streaked, shooting between Browne
and Fitzgerald, heading unerringly toward the open passenger shaft
—into it!
Browne leaped to a console and punched the roof-lock button. A split
second later we heard a riveting machine burst of what was obviously
Centaurian profanity coming down the shaft as the alien found the
exit closed. Browne's fingers darted on the console, locking all the
upstairs windows.
"Browne," I said, "what good will that do? If we do manage to corner
him, just how long do you think we can stand up against him? With
his speed he could evade us until doomsday, to say nothing about
beating our brains out while we tried to land one, solid punch!"
Fitzgerald said, "If we can keep him on the run, maybe he'll get tired."
"Yeah, maybe," I said. "What if that's his normal speed? And who's
likely to get tired first? I'm dragging as of now."
"Well," Fitzgerald said, "we could get more people in and go at him in
shifts—or, well, what about tear gas or an anesthetic gas or—"
"Now, wait!" Browne snapped, unquestionably seizing command. "I'll
admit I started him on the run just now. Perhaps it was the wrong
approach. After all, he's done nothing wrong as far as we know. I—I
guess all of us—leaped to the illogical conclusion that he's out for no
good just because he's an alien. Sure, he's after something or he
wouldn't be going from door to door posing as a census taker. The
way you talk, Jim, would seem to indicate you're not curious. Well, I
am, and I'm going to do everything in my power to find out what he's
after.
"We've got to make him tell us. We can't deduce anything from the
data we have now. Sure, we know he has what you, Jim, say look like
bona fide credentials from the Census Bureau, but we also have right
here I. D. papers or something which show he's apparently from
Alpha Centauri. We know he speaks our language perfectly; ergo he
either learned it here first-hand or acquired it from someone else who
had learned it here.
"Whatever he's after, his approach certainly varies. He asked you a
lot of questions, Fitz, but, Jim, practically all he did in your house was
tell you your wife was pregnant with quintuplets. And whatever his
approach has been, he never seems to finish whatever he comes to
do. Something about you two—and from what you two have said,
Kozulak and Wohl—seems to have a most peculiar effect on him; you
say he's staggered out of every house he's entered only to recover
again in a matter of seconds.
"Just try to equate that!"
He stopped, pondering, and we didn't interrupt.
"Look," he said, "you two go upstairs. Take opposite sides of the
house and find him. Go slowly so that he won't be alarmed. Try to talk
with him, to persuade him we mean him no harm. If you find you can't
persuade him to come willingly, try to work him back to the passenger
shaft. I'll watch through the console—I've kinescopes in every room—
and I'll lock off one room at a time so that he can't reverse himself. I
won't activate the kinescopes until you're upstairs; he might
deactivate them if he weren't kept busy. Get him back to the
passenger shaft and I'll take over from there."
"But what—" Fitzgerald started.
Browne scowled and we went. Fitzgerald should have known better;
there are no buts when Browne gives orders.

We reached the second floor, floated off the up column into the foyer,
and separated.
Browne's first floor rooms are spacious, but most of those on the
second floor are not. I'd never been on the second floor before; I
found it a honeycomb of interconnected rooms of varying sizes and
shapes. I was apparently in Mrs. Browne's quarters; there were half a
dozen hobby rooms alone: a sewing room, a painting room, a
sculpture room, a writing room, others—And here was her spacious
bedroom and on its far side the alien was vainly trying to force one of
its windows.
He turned as I entered, his curious eyes darting around for an avenue
of escape.
"Now, wait," I said as soothingly as I could. "We don't mean any
harm. I think we're justified in being curious as to why you're here.
Who are you anyway? What are you looking for and why?"
He shook his head as if bewildered and seemed suddenly to become
unsteady.
"One question at a time, please," he said, temporizingly. "Your school
system isn't exacting enough; you all think of too many things at
once. It shocks a mind trained to single subject concentration,
especially when one has been educated in telepathic reception."
He grinned at me as I mentally recalled his staggering moments of
seeming drunkenness.
One question at a time, he'd said. Well, I'd ask him the one that was
burning at the threshold of my mind. I said quickly:
"I realize that you probably read in my mind that my wife and I are
expecting quintuplets, but how did you know the rest—about the
division of sexes—or did you guess?"
"I'll have to explain," he said; then hesitated, seeming to debate
mentally with himself as to whether he should go on. Suddenly he
started to talk so fast that the words nearly blurred into
unrecognizability, like a 45 rpm record at 78.
"I am Hirm Sulay of Alpha Centauri Five," he burst. "My people have
warred with the race of Beta Centauri Three for fifty of your years. We
secretly bring our children here to protect them from sporadic
bombing, insuring their upbringing through placing them in
orphanages or directly into homes."
A horrible suspicion flamed in my mind. I'd tried vainly to account for
the multiple birth we were expecting. I cried at him: "Then my wife—"
and he said,
"She will have twin girls, Doc Gardiner tells me. We had planned to
have three newborn boys ready in the delivery room."
"Then Doc Gardiner—"
"He and his staff are all of my race," Hirm Sulay said. "I see how your
mind leaped when I said 'newborn boys.' Your UFO sightings
frequently describe a 'mother' ship. Considering the gravid women
aboard I'd say the description is quite apt."

For some reason anger flared in me, and I rushed at him. He blurred
and went around me and out the way I'd come. I raced after him and
heard Fitzgerald cry, "Oh, no you don't!" and machine-gun footfalls
were doubling back toward me.
I hurried on and he flashed at and by me, then turned back as he
came to a door Browne had remotely locked. Back at and past me
again. I gave chase.
Fitzgerald yelled, "He's slowing down, Jim. He's tiring!"
And the doors kept closing under Browne's nimble fingering at the
console down below. Suddenly the area was cut down to the
passenger shaft foyer, and the three of us were weaving about, like
two tackles after the fastest fullback of all time. I leaped forward and
actually laid a hand on the alien for a split second, just enough to
topple him off balance so that Fitzgerald, charging in, managed to
bump him successfully into the shaft. A surprised cry came ringing
back up the shaft; Browne had obviously cut the lift's power supply
completely.
Browne's voice came ringing up: "Come on down, fellows; I've got
him!"
The shaft guard light flicked to green. Fitzgerald and I dropped down
to first.
Browne had apparently had his chair directly under the shaft; it was
back from the touchdown pad now and Hirm Sulay was in it, vainly
wriggling, shame-faced.
"Now maybe we'll find out a thing or two—" Browne said
meaningfully, bending toward the alien.
"Wait a minute," I cut in and related what Hirm Sulay had told me
upstairs.
"Is it true?" Browne demanded.
Hirm Sulay nodded.
"But why are you going from door to door? Surely you know where
those children are!"
"Sorry," Hirm Sulay said, "we don't. Some of the older and more
important records were lost. I say more important because the
missing ones I seek are grown. We're fighting a war, as I told you,
Jim. You can't keep fighting a war without young recruits!"
Browne's nearly fantastic dexterity came to my mind then. It
apparently came to his simultaneously; he asked abruptly,
"Could I be one of you?"
"What do you think?" Hirm Sulay countered, his face enigmatic.
"Well, I certainly can't move as fast as you!"
"Have you ever tried? Have you ever gone in for athletics? I'd say no.
Most scientists are essentially inactive—physically, that is."
"Are you saying 'yes'?" Browne cried.
Hirm Sulay looked us over, one by one. "Each of you is of our blood,"
he said. "I knew Jim and Fitz were when Fitz said I was slowing down
upstairs. I wasn't; they were speeding up to normalcy for the first
time."
I was stunned for a moment, only dimly aware that he went on to say,
"Now please turn off this blasted chair and tell me how it works. The
principle applied as a tractor beam could win our war!"
"I haven't the vaguest idea," Browne said. "But I bet you can figure it
out!"
Browne went to the servomech for drinks. He was gone for precisely
three seconds. Of those the servomech took two. Slow machine.
I don't know what to tell Tessie. Maybe she'd feel strange with the
boys if she knew. I'll certainly have to tell her part of the truth, though,
because I just can't let Browne and Fitzgerald go to help win our war
without me.
 *** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SECOND
CENSUS ***

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