Well, I've started my training for the Brighton Marathon. I do have kind of a head start in that I'm still pretty fit from he summer run from Clevedon to Filton and my PB at the Bristol Half Marathon. Having said that, I'm starting with a distance of 7.5 miles - that's the best I could do last Saturday!
There is just about enough time to train and be fit enough to complete the marathon. I will say that I'm dreading it! I love running, but two hours is currently the upper limit of "comfort", mentally, a marathon is quite a different affair: it's going to be around four hours.
Again, I'm taking advantage of Society Generale's generous contribution that will match donations made in support of my fund raising by up to £500. I've done a separate Just Giving page (http://www.justgiving.com/AndySkingsley), as it'll make getting the donation from Soc Gen easier.
Fitness hints and tips from Andy the Personal Trainer at Fitness Toolbox in Bristol
Tuesday, 31 December 2013
Friday, 4 October 2013
Uh ... Upping the ante
In August I ran 18.5 miles to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society. That was a huge achievement for me being the furthest I'd ever run. It also led to my fastest half marathon time - I knocked 11 minutes of my my personal best time!
Then an email came round at the day job offering places for the Brighton Marathon.
So, her was another opportunity to make a big difference for a cause that is very dear to my heart … I appear to have signed up for it! I am every but as nervous as I was for my first half marathon way back in 2005.
I shall at last be able to answer the question "How would it feel to run a marathon?"
Wednesday, 21 August 2013
Run from Clevedon Pier to St Peters Church, Filton to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society in memory of my Nan (Anne Philp)
Originally, I'd planned to start at 6:30 in the morning, but the weather didn't look so hot and I fancied having a bit of a lie in, so my Mum picks me up at 8am. We drove part of the route in reverse, just to remind myself of what to look out for.
Dad was waiting at the pier and so I started off at around 8:45.
Heading toward Lady Bay the sun was shining over the estuary and it looked really picturesque. One of the great things about running is being part of the scenery and being able to really explore and enjoy what's around. I always start a little more slowly and gradually build up to a sustainable pace.
I passed the only other runner that I saw in Clevedon before I left the coast and started heading down towards the town and the motorway. I always say hello to people I pass - there were some cyclists and later on there were a couple of ladies on horseback - but I especially say "Hi" to other runners - I find it encouraging myself when others smile and acknowledge me.
Under the motorway and through Tickenham. Normally, I'd be whizz ing through there in a car, but again it was lovely to be able to appreciate just how pretty the village is. There are some amazing houses and gardens and I realised that there were more garden centres round there than I could shake a stick at.
There were a few right-angle bends at the far end of Tickenham that I had to take care with; I'd often step back and let the cars go past as I'd rather they didn't run me into the nearest wall or thorn bush.
Then came The Hill. Hills don't really bother me too much usually; I live in Eastville and regularly go running over Purdown, up Muller Road or sometimes down round the harbour and then up through Leigh Woods, however this was a much bigger hill than I'd ever tackled before. But I was distracted by some amazing views (and being able to really appreciate the environment - ie other people's gardens!).
Half way up the hill I saw my mother ready with a camera, cheering me on! That was encouraging.
Up and up and up - just a steady and continual pace; probably a minute a kilometre slower than my normal running pace.
The next bit was pretty boring. Long straight roads with not much to look at, other than my Mum appearing every few miles to take photos and cheer me on. Somewhere in Failand I passed the half-way point and was feeling great! It was a bit like being stalked by my own familial paparazzi.
I was glad when I turned left towards the Clifton Suspension Bridge, past the top of the Ashton Court Estate. I began to see many other people, even a few runners (although they were all coming towards me). I did pause briefly at the bridge to take a photo.
On the other side both my parents were there taking photos and cheering. I could have died with embarrassment! But I really appreciated the encouragement.
When I got to Pembroke Road I was officially as far as I'd ever run: thirteen-point-one miles as I got to the junction and still feeling good. Psychologically I knew that I had another hill to climb. Pembroke Road is much shorter than the hill by Tickenham and much less steep, but somewhere up there my legs began to really ache.
Al
I had a phone call from a friend when I got passed the Downs. Not wishing me well: he'd forgotten about the run. Just for a chat! So I was on the phone for 10 minutes "yeah, I can't really - sorry - I'm in the middle - sorry - I - I AM IN THE MIDDLE OF AN 18 MILE RUN!"
Kellaway Avenue is quite undulating, but I was losing speed. I couldn't give up though as I had no idea when the paps would appear next … and I had had so very much support from friends, colleagues and even a large number of people I have never met. I couldn't stop.
Horfield Common saw me with 2.5km to go - the final push. My legs alternately ached and were numb. I wasn't sure which I preferred more.
The finish came about ten minutes later - it was really emotional! My family, my partner and Mitsy the dog were there and they'd done a special finish-line for me to run through!
Initially I just sat down, but then I was a good boy and did my stretches before walking down to my parent's house for a cold bath. They didn't have ice, but even a decent cold bath speeds recovery and so on Monday I was no more achey than I'd been the first time I ran thirteen miles!
I want to say an enormous thank you to everyone who supported me. I've not collected all the sponsorship yet, but together we've raised over £500 for the Alzheimer's Society. I now need to put the application into ALD, who may double the amount!
http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Skingsley
Monday, 22 July 2013
Route Details for Clevedon to Filton Run
The Route
I'll start form Nan's plaque on the pier, then run uphill towards Lady Bay, then back down towards Clevedon town, but head out towards Tickenham. From there it's pretty much all uphill for a few miles before I'm at the top in an undulating terrain. I descent slightly towards to Clifton Suspension Bridge, then head up hill again to find Coldharbour Lane - from there it's pretty even until the end.Distance
The run is approximately 28.42km (nearly 18 miles). I'll cycle the route a week or so before hand to try and spot any problems (other than the hills). I'll have a more accurate distance then.Climbs
The deck of the pier is 14m above sea level and the end point (Filton Church) is only 85m above sea level. The highest I'll reach is 162m above sea level, but in total I will climb 204m.Route on Map My Run
Impressed?
If any of that impressed you in any way - or you feel that Alzheimer's Society is a worth cause - please visit my Just Giving page here: http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Skingsley
Sunday, 21 July 2013
Clevedon to Filton run for Alzheimer's Society
I've been doing some training for a special run I want to do to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society. You can see details of the event here: http://www.justgiving.com/Andy-Skingsley. I'll post updates on this blog as well.
I'd dithered about starting the Just Giving page because I'd had a bit of an injury: I've moved from being heel-strike runner (ie hitting the ground with my heel first) to being a mid-foot strike runner. I'd missed a few interim runs and then went into the same long run that I would have done if I'd stuck to the plan - and basically over did it and gave myself a bit of Achilles tendonitis. Only rest, ice and elevation helped (and a little bit of ibuprofen). I'm fine now ... and can again look at doing this run!
Your money will go so much farther if you sponsor my run as ALD Automotive (the day job) will double whatever I raise - so please follow the link and donate!
Thanks!
I'd dithered about starting the Just Giving page because I'd had a bit of an injury: I've moved from being heel-strike runner (ie hitting the ground with my heel first) to being a mid-foot strike runner. I'd missed a few interim runs and then went into the same long run that I would have done if I'd stuck to the plan - and basically over did it and gave myself a bit of Achilles tendonitis. Only rest, ice and elevation helped (and a little bit of ibuprofen). I'm fine now ... and can again look at doing this run!
Your money will go so much farther if you sponsor my run as ALD Automotive (the day job) will double whatever I raise - so please follow the link and donate!
Thanks!
Thursday, 13 June 2013
Circuits for Alzheimer's Society
Last night we had a second circuits class at ALD to raise money for the Alzheimer's society. Turn out was much better than the first time, it seems that news got around!
Feedback has been really positive and really encouraging with many people asking for another performance … of course ALD aren't that keen, since we're doing the circuits class in the car warehouse with lots of shiny, expensive cars around. But it is pretty spacious and great for the CV elements, so maybe we'll see about another go later in the year and try and raise some more moment for Alzheimer's!
Labels:
Alzheimer's,
Circuits
Location: Bristol, UK
A L D Automotive Ltd Oakwood Park, Lodge Causeway, Bristol
Wednesday, 5 June 2013
Why Footballers Should Study Ballet
What a weird opening! What's that about?
Training for any specific activity requires specific training - if you want to be a runner you need to do lots of running, if you want to be a swimmer you want to do lots of swimming and if you want to play football - you have to play lots of football!
However, training for specificity can have its drawbacks when it's excludes any other component of fitness. And there are adaptations that your body can make in one activity that can be of huge benefits in another activity.
There's an idea called Cross Training where other sports and activities are taken that complement particular aspects of the actual spirt or activity that's being trained for - for example, swimming is largely an upper body exercise, however it requires a good cardio-pulmonary system (strong heart and lungs) that can extract maximum oxygen from a breath due to being able to take fewer breaths while swimming - the effect for running can be an increase in the body's ability to work aerobically.
Cross Training is also a good idea where a particular sort or activity largely ignores an energy system or muscle group - for example cyclists spend a lot of their time hunched over their handlebars, which can be really bad for the back - back strengthening exercises can help prevent longer term problems.
So what's that got to do with footballers and ballet? Well, footballers often suffer from hamstring injuries which caused by the rapid extension of the knee as the hamstring (the big set if muscles at the back of the leg) contract eccentrically (ie lengthen under tension) … and that can cause a tear.
Ballerinas almost never suffer from such injuries because they work on both strengthening their legs and their flexibility. A study published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine also concluded that lower extremity injuries in solders could also be drastically reduced by increasing hamstring flexibility.
Perhaps footballers should do a spot of ballet! Ok, the ballet thing isn't really a serious proposition for cross training footballers, but the idea that drawing on components in one activity to support another activity you do, possibly even on a recovery day, can yield great benefits.
So what else do ballerinas have in common with footballers apart from a need to be able to flex the hips and extend the knees without rolling on the floor in agony? Both are Drama Queens!
Labels:
Cross training,
cycling,
football,
Running,
swimming
Sunday, 26 May 2013
Forest of Dean Trailblazer Run (10k)
Yesterday I ran in the Forest of Dean Trailblazer Run, organised by Rat Race (http://www.rwtrailblazer.co.uk). I was expecting to run it with my partner, but he was I'll with a cold - I was just getting over a cold and had a spot of Achilles tendinitis myself and was in two minds as to whether I should run … these things are quite expensive, so I decided that I'd give it a go, but go gently on myself.
Arriving at the site in my car, I was directed to a parking spot only a minute form the event village. The village itself was just fine, not quite as many food stalls as I've found at the big city half-marathons. Registration was quick and easy, the pack I was given even included the safety pins for my number.
There was an instructor who got each wave warmed up before they were led off to the start. It was a bit of fun, but I didn't appreciate his threats to make us collapse with effort before the run even started - a warm up is just that: get pulse raised and muscles ready and not leave you so flat you can't do the man event! So I took my own advice and took the warmup easy - and was glad of both the warm up and that I didn't over do it.
The weather was sunny, but it wasn't too hot - I was lad of that. Running in the midday run, it could so easily have worked out completely exhausting.
When the warmup was finished we we led to the start and had our own private countdown. I guess there was somewhere between 40 and 60 people, so after the first few minutes we weren't falling over each other.
The course was really interesting: I love running in the countryside, there is no much to see and it can be so peaceful. But I wanted to try and get a decent time - I wanted under and hour, and if I could under 50 minutes, so I set a pace and plodded on.
After about 5 or 10 minutes I caught up with a girl who was doing the kind of pace that felt good to me - taxing, not going to kill me (given my current state). I was kind of behind her for a bit, then ahead of her, and then behind again, and then finally we just gave you and mostly kept pace with each other.
At one point we passed a couple of guys and they said something pleasant as we passed - I don't remember what, but I do remember saying "this girl is awesome, she's just pulling me through!" To which she replied that I was keeping her going!
There were plenty of hills and valleys in the run, nothing too steep, although the first half of the race felt pretty downhill, the latter half felt more uphill: I could feel my glutes really engaging to power up the hills.
With the end in sight, I am afraid I did take off and do a sprint for the finish. Actually, I think it may have been about 250m sprint - I was surprised that I had it in me!
My final time was 48mins 39secs - and a lot of that is due to Denise, the fab girl who was my accidental running partner for the day!
Labels:
10k,
Trailblazer
Location: Bristol, UK
West Dean, Gloucestershire, UK
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Self-Esteem and Exercise
I'm just reading an article on how Personal Trainers (and fitness instructors in general) need to get into their clients' heads more in order to better motivate them.
I strongly believe that getting and staying fit is mostly done in the head and that the internal dialogs that we have are our own worst enemies: things like "I look fat" or "I could never do that" keep us feeling low, but to our own voices that do it to us.
As a PT, I like listening to what my clients say about themselves, this gives me a strong insight into what actually motivates them. I encourage clients to become aware of that self-critical voice and realise how it actually makes them feel (the little voice can also encourage us to exceed our abilities in both positive and negative ways).
By standing in front of a mirror and repeatedly saying "I look fat", your mind will generate behaviours to support this view.
But when you stand in front of the mirror and say "what do I need to do to get slimmer/healthier?" Your mind can gradually build behaviours that will support the required behaviour change.
Increasing self-esteem involves working with clients to gradually collapse their old beliefs about themselves and replace them with new yet still believable ones.
For some people, counselling alongside their training will really give them the best return on their investment, time and effort.
- but to even start you need to believe in some small way that You're Worth It!
Body Confidence Training
Body Confidence Training
Monday, 13 May 2013
More Flyers! (is this the final design?)
Thanks everyone for your feedback ... I've done what I can with it and hopefully this design is a little easier on the eye and more digestible!
Sunday, 12 May 2013
Designing Flyers!
I'm having some fun designing some flyers for my new circuits class - what do you think?
Circuits Fitness Class in Kingswood, Bristol |
Tuesday, 7 May 2013
Why learning the guitar is like getting fit
My Mum is learning to play the guitar; she is doing really well, and whatever age you are, learning an instrument or a language or to paint or anything new is challenging. For some people some things are more challenging than others, but basically she's not found it easy, but she's plugged away for six months and can play some pretty pleasing tunes. She also sings along, which is a bit like patting your head and rubbing your tummy!
Well done Mum!
But what has that got to do with a fitness blog? Well, as we age it gets harder and harder to create new neural connections in the brain, playing a guitar requires some pretty snappy synapsis firing away quickly enough to produce a tune. When you're young, your brain is optimised for creating connections … ie learning. When we get older, it seems that evolution doesn't think we need to be able to learn new things and it gets harder.
The same principal is true of starting any new fitness regime, whether its weight, running, yoga or dancing - your brain has to connect the right neurones to the right parts of the body in sufficient quantity to enable your muscles to generate the forces necessary to lift a heavy object, move quickly or perform a complex operation.
I think that my Mum's achievement is really encouraging for any older adult: if she can learn to play the guitar, you can learn to swim or cycle or balance on your head!
Well done Mum!
But what has that got to do with a fitness blog? Well, as we age it gets harder and harder to create new neural connections in the brain, playing a guitar requires some pretty snappy synapsis firing away quickly enough to produce a tune. When you're young, your brain is optimised for creating connections … ie learning. When we get older, it seems that evolution doesn't think we need to be able to learn new things and it gets harder.
The same principal is true of starting any new fitness regime, whether its weight, running, yoga or dancing - your brain has to connect the right neurones to the right parts of the body in sufficient quantity to enable your muscles to generate the forces necessary to lift a heavy object, move quickly or perform a complex operation.
I think that my Mum's achievement is really encouraging for any older adult: if she can learn to play the guitar, you can learn to swim or cycle or balance on your head!
Monday, 6 May 2013
I'm starting a new Circuits Class!
New Circuits Class
I’m going to be starting a Circuits class on 4th June in St Michaels Church Hall in Kingswood (there’s a map at the bottom of the blog entry).Circuits are one of my favourite ways of training with a group – each class is a little bit different from the last and there are plenty of different formats to choose from. I love the fact that you are never quite sure what you’re going to get: one week it can have a heavy CV focus, the week after it might be more resistance focussed, then the week after it can be a real mixture. Sometimes you’ll be in pairs, other times on your own. Sometimes there’ll be equipment and others there will be very little kit.
Classes can be a great way to learn how to do exercises safely and efficiently; I’ll give pointers on improving technique for safety and effectiveness, adjusting the exercise to make it easier or harder for you and giving encouragement and instruction.
The classes can be a great way to meet people who just want to get fit and don’t have any pretensions, just wanting to have fun and sweaty!
Contact Me!
If you’re interested, or know someone who might be, call 0775 663 2646 or you can drop an email to andy@fitnesstoolbox.co.ukSt Michaels Church Hall, Kingswood, Bristol, BS151BQ
View St Michaels Church Hall, Kingswood in a larger map
Labels:
Circuits,
class,
Fitness,
weight loss
Location: Bristol, UK
Bristol, City of Bristol, UK
Sunday, 5 May 2013
Bristol 10k 2013
This year my partner decided to run the Bristol 10k.
Its an extremely well organised event that's great fun to participate in; I've only done this one once but this year my partner's running the Bristol Half Marathon in September so I was there cheering for this race. This will be the second time he's run a Half Marathon, so since he always comes to cheer me on when I run, I'll be going to cheer him on when he runs.
Don't underestimate the role of supporters - the number of times that I've felt myself flagging and a well time shout of "you can do it!" or "not far now!" (as long as it really isn't far to go!) is incredibly appreciated and I know has made the difference between giving up, just finishing and my best ever times.
Being a spectator is enormously rewarding: the effort and dedication and (sometimes) joy you see on the runners' faces is absolutely amazing and utterly inspiring. So many running for charity - sometimes with heart wrenching photos and names of lost family and friends. All of them just trying to be better, healthier and happier than they are - just improving themselves.
Sadly, I didn't see my partner! I watched and watched and somehow he slipped past me and I missed my chance - it has happened before that I've missed him, but when I do we both feel so great afterwards. Certainly I know that when I see him, that I get a real boost and I appreciate it so much.
I'm really looking forward to supporting him in September for the Bristol Half ... even if you're not running, why not head down to the harbourside and cheer on some runners?
Its an extremely well organised event that's great fun to participate in; I've only done this one once but this year my partner's running the Bristol Half Marathon in September so I was there cheering for this race. This will be the second time he's run a Half Marathon, so since he always comes to cheer me on when I run, I'll be going to cheer him on when he runs.
Don't underestimate the role of supporters - the number of times that I've felt myself flagging and a well time shout of "you can do it!" or "not far now!" (as long as it really isn't far to go!) is incredibly appreciated and I know has made the difference between giving up, just finishing and my best ever times.
Being a spectator is enormously rewarding: the effort and dedication and (sometimes) joy you see on the runners' faces is absolutely amazing and utterly inspiring. So many running for charity - sometimes with heart wrenching photos and names of lost family and friends. All of them just trying to be better, healthier and happier than they are - just improving themselves.
Sadly, I didn't see my partner! I watched and watched and somehow he slipped past me and I missed my chance - it has happened before that I've missed him, but when I do we both feel so great afterwards. Certainly I know that when I see him, that I get a real boost and I appreciate it so much.
I'm really looking forward to supporting him in September for the Bristol Half ... even if you're not running, why not head down to the harbourside and cheer on some runners?
Look at how amazingly happy that chap in the background is - he's just seen his family! |
These girls look like they're having a great time - they've done about 9.5k at this point |
Labels:
half marathon,
Running,
support
Location: Bristol, UK
Bristol, City of Bristol, UK
Saturday, 4 May 2013
A bit of silliness: and award ceremony for carbohydrates!
The award for the Carb Most Likely To Turn You Orange goes to the Sweet Potato.
The award for Best Accompaniment to Curry goes to White Rice!
The award for Outstanding Cultural Icon goes to Pasta!
The gong for Best Carbohydrate for Muscle Gain goes to Egg Noodles!
The award for Underpinning Western Civilisation Since The Dawn Of Time goes to Wheat!
The award for Most Likely to Reduce Blood Pressure, goes to Sweet Potato. (so you change from being blood vessel red to Dale Winton Orange!)
The award for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Wheat!
The award for Best Supporting Carb for Weight Loss goes to Baked Potato.
Finally, the award for Most Nutritionally Balanced Carbohydrate goes to ... Wholegrain Bread!
Monday, 22 April 2013
Carbohydrates and Diet
Introduction
Leading in from my current series of posts on complex carbs...
Over a cup of tea, a friend just said “I need a sugar fix”.
That got me thinking: sugar is addictive. People are “called” to it as
with any other addiction.
The problem is, as with many addictions, the fix is short
lived and can cause more problems than it resolves. Primarily, if the sugar isn't immediately required by the body (ie you’re not exercising), it spikes the
insulin response, which causes the body to store sugar in the blood stream in
muscles and liver as glycogen, or as fat in the flabby areas around the body
(problem 1). However, whilst eating the sugary food, you do get an immediate
and very satisfying mini “high”: sweets called comfort foods for a very good
reason. Sweet.
Following that, the body suddenly finds the initial promise
of boundless energy is not sustained: expecting a gradual tail-off of the supply
of sugar which can be managed, there’s a sudden drop. Leading to a down swing
in mood and energy – and often a return to hunger.
Glycemic Index
The glycemic index relates to how quickly sugar in foods is absorbed into the blood; it was originally devised to assist diabetics with managing their blood sugar levels by observing how quickly certain foods caused an insulin spike - this insulin spike has been associated with a return to feeling hungry shortly after consuming sweet foods (as I mentioned above).
Some dieters have found that choosing food based on its glycemic index can help them combat hunger pangs and make dieting easier: the bottom line with weight loss is a reduction in calorie intake - obviously, if you're not always ravenously hungry, losing weight is much easier!
Note that the glycemic index of food is an average based on observing how quickly the blood sugar rises after consumption: the numbers you see quoted are therefore not absolutes but only indications of the relative speed of absorption. For reference, glucose has an average glycemic index of 100, but has been observed to have an index as low as 85 and as high as 111. Food combinations can also change the glycemic index - consuming glucose with fibre brings the index range down to somewhere between 57-85 - in line with the observation that fibre helps keep you feeling full for longer.
Glycemic Load
The index relates to the rate of absorption into the body, the glycemic load is the product of the number of calories and the glycemic index and is a better indication of the what kind of insulin spike might be caused by consuming food.
There's a table at the end of the article ordered by glycemic load (once -again based on 100g of the food item) predictably, foods with the highest calorific value tend to be towards the top of the table ... however, a normal baked potato moves from near the bottom of the table to the middle and sweet potatoes move from the middle to the bottom!
OK, as I mentioned, everything in the tables has been based on 100g rather than the vague notion of "a portion" ... but practically speaking, what's in a portion?
I have two measures to hand: a baked potato (500g) and a slice of wholegrain bread (50g) ... that means that the glycemic load of the potato is actually 94.9 while two slices of bread is only 69.7 ... the baked potato would therefore be more likely to cause an insulin spike and you'd be more likely to feel hungry later!
Food | Glycaemic Index | Glycaemic Load |
Egg Noodles | 70 | 49.7 |
White Bread | 70 | 37.8 |
Brown Bread | 65 | 33 |
Wholegrain Bread | 69 | 69.7 |
White Rice | 60 | 27 |
Potato | 70 | 18.9 |
White Pasta | 55 | 17 |
Brown Rice | 50 | 11.5 |
Brown Pasta | 39 | 10.3 |
Sweet Potato | 20 | 8.2 |
One of the sources I used to research this was http://www.glycemicindex.com/, some of the values are slightly different: remember, glycemic indexing isn't an exact science
Wednesday, 10 April 2013
Nutrients in Carbohydrates
Recap
In my post Calories in Carbohydrates, I looked at level, types and quality of the energy that our bodies could get from the various complex carb sources (eg potato, pasta, bread, rice) - always with half an eye on weight management. This time I'm looking at these essential food sources from the point of view of what kind of nutrients do they have.So What Have We Got?
Once again there's a table below with all the key complex carbs, this time the table isn't sorted because there isn't any clear way of organizing into a single view.So I'll start with a fairly well known story about rice and the disease Beriberi (see Wikipedia Beriberi), caused by a deficit of Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) - as the story goes a Dutch doctor in Java found that prisoners eating white rice developed the disease, whereas those fed brown rice did not ... ironically, the table below doesn't bear that out - the reason being that white rice is very often fortified in developed countries to combat that very problem!
Fiber
From the grid, you can pretty easily see that brown/wholegrain foods deliver better on the fiber front than their refined alternatives. Fiber is primarily used to help digestion, without being digestible itself: it gives the body something to push against and the bacteria in the gut something to feed on. Getting an adequate quantity of fiber has been demonstrated to reduce the risk of many cancers and heart conditions.Vitamin A
Vitamin A is necessary for healthy eyes, skin and linings of things like the digestive tracts (among other things); you'll find it as beta-carotene in brightly coloured fruit and veg ... too much can cause horrible things like birth defects, liver disorders and can increase the bone breakdown! Note that sweet potatoes deliver a massive kick of Vitamin A!B Vitamins
These are associated with energy production - converting stored sugars, fat and protein into energy to move, think and exist. they are involved in all the processes that get you moving (eg nervous system, healthy heart, blood production) and the most commonly added to enrich food. In the table you can see a fairly even distribution of B Vitamins throughout the carb sources, until you get to Folate (Folic Acid); in developed countries Folate is routinely added to grain products (especially flour) as a guard against birth defects.Vitamin C
Potatoes deliver a healthy punch of Vitamin C, but that's one vitamin that anyone who eats plenty of fruit and veg will get enough of anyway.Vitamin D
Wasn't measured in the sources I was using, so I can't report of it's quantities.Vitamin E
Is an important antioxidant and has a key role in nourishing cells; it's rarely added to food, and is naturally higher in the brown and wholegrain foods below.Vitamin K
Vitamin K is essential for blood clotting (see Discovery of Vitamin K at Wikipedia), but its levels are pretty low in the sources listed below (one mg = 1000 mcg).Minerals
Generally, unrefined carbohydrate sources have a much higher level of minerals than their refined equivalents (ie wholegrain/brown is better for you than white), but potatoes (both types) deliver one hell of a big punch in the potassium department: it has a key role, along with reduced sodium intake, in reducing and managing blood pressure. Then compare potatoes' Sodium content with the other sources: it's much, much lower - potatoes, when prepared in a healthy manner (ie not fried, roasted, mashed with butter or made to actually taste like anything) could have a major roll in managing blood pressure!before I write off other complex carb sources, just take a look at wholegrain bread's phosphorus, magnesium and calcium content. These three minerals are crucial for bone and teeth development, as well as energy, the nervous system and healthy brain functioning.
Food
|
RDA - 35 year old 65kg male
* approx - no RDA exists
|
Wholegrain Bread
|
White Bread
|
Potato
|
Sweet Potato
|
Brown Rice
|
White Rice
|
Brown Pasta
|
White Pasta
|
Egg Noodles
|
Brown Bread
|
Fibre
|
24* g
|
7 g
|
3 g
|
4 g
|
7 g
|
2 g
|
1 g
|
4.5 g
|
1.2g
|
3 g
|
6 g
|
Vitamins
|
|||||||||||
Vitamin A
|
900.0 mcg
|
0.0 IU
|
0.0 IU
|
10.0 IU
|
38433 IU
|
0.0 IU
|
0.0 IU
|
4.0 IU
|
0.0 mg
|
62.0 IU
|
3 IU
|
Thiamin
|
1.2 mg
|
0.3 mg
|
0.4 mcg
|
0.1 mg
|
0.2 mg
|
0.1 mg
|
0.3 mg
|
0.2 mg
|
0.0 mg
|
0.2 mg
|
0.3 mg
|
Riboflavin
|
1.3 mg
|
0.1 mg
|
0.3 mg
|
0.1 mg
|
0.2 mg
|
0.0 mg
|
0..0 mg
|
0.1 mg
|
0.0 mg
|
0.1 mg
|
0.2 mg
|
Niacin
|
16.0 mg
|
4.0 mg
|
3.9 mg
|
3.1 mg
|
3.0 mg
|
1.5 mg
|
2.3 mg
|
1.0 mg
|
0.4 mg
|
2.1 mg
|
4.0 mg
|
Vitamin B6
|
1.3 mg
|
0.3 mg
|
0.1 mg
|
0.6 mg
|
0.6 mg
|
0.1 mg
|
0.1 mg
|
0.1 mg
|
0.0 mg
|
0.2 mg
|
0.2 mg
|
Folate
|
400 mcg
|
75.0 mcg
|
104 mcg
|
22.0 mcg
|
12.0 mcg
|
4.0 mcg
|
91.6 mcg
|
7.0 mcg
|
7.0 mcg
|
29.0 mcg
|
65.0 mg
|
Vitamin B12
|
2.4 mcg
|
0.0 mcg
|
0.0 mcg
|
0.0 mcg
|
0.0 mcg
|
0.0 mcg
|
0.0 mcg
|
~
|
0.0 mcg
|
0.3 mcg
|
0.0 mcg
|
Pantothenic Acid
|
5.0* mg
|
0.3 mg
|
0.3 mg
|
0.9 mg
|
1.8 mg
|
0.3 mg
|
0.6 mg
|
0.6 mg
|
0.1 mg
|
0.9 mg
|
0.5 mg
|
Vitamin C
|
90.0 mg
|
0.1 mg
|
0.0 mg
|
13.5 mg
|
39.2 mg
|
0.0 mg
|
0.0 mg
|
0.0 mg
|
0.0 mg
|
0.0 mg
|
0 mg
|
Vitamin D
|
5.0* mcg
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
~
|
Vitamin E
|
15.0 mg
|
0.4 mcg
|
0.2 mg
|
0.0 mg
|
1.4 mg
|
0.0 mg
|
0.1 mg
|
0.4 mg
|
0.1 mg
|
0.4 mg
|
0.8 mg
|
Vitamin K
|
120.0* mg
|
1.4 mcg
|
3.4 mg
|
1.7 mcg
|
4.6 mcg
|
0.6 mcg
|
0.0 mcg
|
1.0 mcg
|
0.0 mcg
|
0.5 mcg
|
9.4 mcg
|
Minerals
|
|||||||||||
Calcium
|
1,000.0 mg
|
103 mg
|
119 mg
|
34.0 mg
|
76.0 mg
|
10.0 mg
|
15.8 mg
|
21.0 mg
|
7.0 mg
|
35.0 mg
|
33.0 mg
|
Iron
|
8.0 mg
|
2.5 mg
|
3.3 mg
|
7.0 mg
|
1.4 mg
|
0.4 mg
|
1.9 mg
|
1.5 mg
|
1.3 mg
|
1.9 mg
|
3.1 mg
|
Magnesium
|
420.0 mg
|
78.0 mg
|
26.0 mg
|
43.0 mg
|
54.0 mg
|
43.0 mg
|
19.0 mg
|
42.0 mg
|
18.0 mg
|
58.0 mg
|
81.0 mg
|
Phosphorus
|
700.0 mg
|
228.0 mg
|
103 mg
|
101 mg
|
108.0 mg
|
83.0 mg
|
68.0 mg
|
125.0 mg
|
58.0 mg
|
241.0 mg
|
187.0 mg
|
Potassium
|
4.7* mg
|
230.0 mg
|
131 mg
|
573 mg
|
950.0 mg
|
43.0 mg
|
55.3 mg
|
62.0 mg
|
44.0 mg
|
244.0 mg
|
314.0 mg
|
Sodium
|
1.5* mg
|
420.0 mg
|
592 mg
|
21.0 mg
|
72.0 mg
|
5.0 mg
|
1.6 mg
|
4.0 mg
|
1.0 mg
|
21.0 mg
|
346.0 mg
|
Zinc
|
11.0 mg
|
1.7 mg
|
0.7 mg
|
0.5 mg
|
0.6 mg
|
0.6 mg
|
0.8 mg
|
1.1 mg
|
0.5 mg
|
1.9 mg
|
1.5 mg
|
Copper
|
900.0 mcg
|
0.3 mg
|
0.1 mg
|
0.8 mg
|
0.3 mg
|
0.1 mg
|
0.1 mg
|
0.2 mg
|
0.1 mg
|
0.3 mg
|
0.3 mg
|
Manganese
|
2.3* mg
|
2.0 mg
|
0.4 mg
|
0.6 mg
|
1.0 mg
|
0.9 mg
|
0.7 mg
|
1.9 mg
|
0.3 mg
|
0.9 mg
|
1.9 mg
|
Selenium
|
55.0 mcg
|
32.9 mcg
|
31.0 mcg
|
0.7 mcg
|
0.4 mcg
|
9.8 mcg
|
11.9 mcg
|
36.3 mcg
|
26.4 mcg
|
78.8 mcg
|
38.6 mcg
|
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